The Sacrifice
by soyeoni
Summary: Many beautiful women were offered to the Water God in order to please him so he would allow rain to fall from the sky. But when it was Tsukino Usagi's turn to be sacrificed, she discovered things get quite complicated when she falls in love with another.
1. Chapter I

AN: Hi, I really don't know what to write here; I just figured I wanted to write something. :l

But anyways, this story is an inspiration I got from reading Bride of the Water God; although the beginning would hold the same concept, but it shall differ greatly after the first chapter! As it is mentioned from the summary, it will consist of a love triangle. The pairing in this story's going to be very tricky as both men are just so dashing despite their differences, in my opinion :)

However, I can't guarantee that this story will end up happily or in a tragedy. I think I'd like to decide that randomly near the end, although several of the chapters have been already planned out perfectly. This will be a short story, consisting up to _fifteen _chapters or less, I hope! In exchange, I shall try my best to make them long, detailed, and in-depth as I can. Which is not a difficult task since it will be told from mainly Usagi's perceptive.

And sorry to announce that in this chapter, she doesn't meet either male because this is more of an introductory chapter; but next chapter will be where this story _really_ starts.  
Enjoy, and I hope to receive comments and feedbacks!

Summary: Many beautiful women were offered to the Water God in order to please him so he would allow rain to fall from the sky. But when it was Tsukino Usagi's turn to be sacrificed, she discovered things get quite complicated when she falls in love with another.

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_The Sacrifice_

Chapter l

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A small village has been suffering from a prolonged drought for awhile now. It was to be estimated that it should have rained a week ago, but that was not the case. The people have always wondered if it was because they lived in a dry area, where rain hardly ever comes thus people die from the lack of food. But apparently, it was not the case: the majority of the population in the small village believed in a God who would supply them with water, the one named Endymion.

At first, Endymion was told as a myth from a traveling fortune teller. After a glance at the salty lake near the village, he claimed to have sensed abnormality: a God was looking over this village. At first, people were skeptical of his claim, but when the fortune teller suggested of sacrificing a young beautiful maiden to the lake, people's beliefs have been persuaded. Tales have been told for hundreds of years that when a young virginal maiden was sacrificed to Endymion, he would accept their offer and devour the sacrificed maiden. In return, he would allow rain to fall down from the sky, allowing grain in a field owned by all of the villagers to grow and to be harvested before it was distributed equally to each family.

So after each maiden has been sacrificed, rain was bestowed to the village from Endymion a day later. It has always been like that, thus the legend of Endymion came to be.

It was a possibility that her turn was coming up soon; Usagi have just turned the age of eighteen few days ago, which was considered to be a good age to be wed, or to be sacrificed to the God if they are a female. And it was possible that the next sacrifice was to be chosen soon. After two months of drought with very rare occasions of rain, the village council would hold a meeting to discuss what shall be done, and if they come to the conclusion to sacrifice a maiden, then it has to be approved by the family's head member who was often the father - the man who provides and protects the family. If that was not the case, then the responsibility shall bestowed upon the head son, and if a family did not consist of a leading man, then they would have no say in the matter: women did not have the power to decline the responsibility they are given to them, they are not equal to men.

The village councils hold their meetings at a different household every time, as they are cautious that they do not what their information and voices to be carried out through their village. And this time, it was held at the Tsukino residence.

The meeting was to take place in the family room, where she observed ten middle-aged men enter. Her mother served them tea and quickly evacuated the room once she did so; the men preferred to be alone, and one of those men happened to be her father, Tsukino Kenji. He's an intelligent man, but not only that, he's a kind and a loving father to his wife and to his children, her and my younger brother Shingo. As the man of the house, he's very protective of all of them - a trait which his wife and daughter teased him for, saying how they were perfectly capable of taking care of themselves.

Usagi was told to remain upstairs in her room, and to stay there until the men have left. It seemed like an easy task at first; she could just stay upstairs and just pray for Endymion to bestow them with rain, as any other members of the village would do so every night. But before she could even do that, her stomach betrayed her as it grumbled, demanding for some food.

"Shh, I'll feed you later," mumbled Usagi, feeling silly as she talked to her stomach.

But it ignored her as it grumbled even louder, and its sound vibrated against her stomach walls, making her realize how truly hungry she was. She pinched her stomach as a way to punish it. Usagi knew that it was futile, but she was desperate to ignore her hunger since she was ordered to stay upstairs until the village councils have left...

Her stomach continued to torture her, so she couldn't suppress her complaint. "Shh... I can't feed you right now although I'd love to get some rice and miso in you!"

_Grumble._

It was then she considered the possibility of sneaking downstairs to the kitchen to grab a bowl of rice and miso soup to satisfy her hunger. But as a major klutz, Usagi knew there was a possibility of her tripping over something and result into a big mess and get scolded by the village council, which consists of the most respectable men in the entire village. How embarrassing would that be? Very.

Usagi dismissed the possibility as she firmly decided that she should just remain upstairs and hope that her hunger will fade away gradually.

_Grumble. Grumble._

Or not.

She bit her lip furiously as she considered her two options - to stay or not to stay. Usagi looked down at her stomach and let out a small whine as a sign of complaint. She knew, from eighteen years of experience, that her hunger would _not_ go away unless it received some food. She did not know why, but somehow, she knew she was going to regret her decision.

Slipping out of her slippers, she tiptoed down the stairs, crossing her fingers the entire time as she did so. Usagi mentally prayed the stairs wouldn't give out under her weight because it usually made its loud creaking sound whenever she descended down from her bedroom. It seemed as if God was on her side since she was successful in doing so.

"Usagi! What do you think you're doing?" her younger brother's sudden outburst caused her to jump in fright before she glared at him and placed her index finger on her lips.

"Shh! What do you think you're doing down here, Shingo?"

One of Shingo's eyebrows rose as he crossed his arms and responded, "I could ask you the same thing. I bet you're getting food, aren't you?" when Usagi didn't reply, her younger brother rolled his eyes. "Well, I'm not surprised. You _do _eat like a pig, after all."

Usagi just merely 'hmph'ed as she ignored his claim, despite the fact that he spoke the truth about her huge appetite. She assumed her younger brother had either lost interest in provoking her today like he usually did until they end up in a argument, or he was being obedient since he walked past her and up towards the stairs towards his bedroom.

"Where are you going?" she quietly called out after him.

Shingo replied, "My room, where you're supposed to be, too. Just come up soon when you're done getting something to eat, okay?"

"Okay."

She soon walked over to where the hallway was, which was linked to the family room because on the other end of the hallway consisted the kitchen, her destination. She crept silently throughout the household, and so far, she was undetected. Feeling relieved, Usagi let out a sigh of relief, but it was quickly swallowed when she suddenly heard a fist came in contact loudly with the wooden table inside the family room. A loud outburst came along with it, as well.

"This drought has been going for far enough! We require a drastic action to be taken, or we have no other choice but to sacrifice a young female from our very own village again..." The voice she recognized belonged to Hino Takashi, a senior member of her village who contained the most respect in the village. It was told that it was his long-deceased relative who had stumbled upon the fortune teller many years ago.

His words intrigued Usagi to stay, since there is a possibility that whichever decision the councils conclude to would affect her as well, as a member of the village. She silently approached the door and crouched by it, which separated her from the circle of men behind it. From where she was, Usagi knew the men could not notice her; but the council members did not seem to be anxious of their surrounding because they were so absorbed with the topic they were discussing.

"What? _Another _sacrifice?" asked a member, whose voice was filled with dread and horror as he repeated his fellow member's suggestion. "Just how many more families will we have to bring misery when we ask them for their daughter? Just... how many more, Hino-san?"

There was no hint of remorse or hesitation when Takashi answered with a strict tone, "Unless there is another option to save our village, that is our _only_ option - don't look at me with those eyes, Kumada-san. You know as well as I do that I am not pleased to resort to this option, nor have I been for several of years."

"Then why do we continue to do so every seven years?" It had been Tsukino Kenji, her father, who asked. His voice was easily recognizable because he spoke softly, which goes along with his face and personality. He went on, "I feel as if we, ourselves, are playing God with our village and the women we sacrifice. We strip away their freedom to reject our proposals of their lives, since everyone in our village acknowledges the fact that it is dishonorable to turn their heads away from us."

"It's for the good of people in this village, Tsukino-san." Another voice had input their opinion, merely scolding the man who had spoken before him. The man spoke with high authority in his voice, which demanded respect and it didn't fail to send frightening shivers down Usagi's arm. He continued on, "Something must be done, and it must be done _immediately_. Have you not heard? Eight people have died from hunger already because of this drought! This cannot continue, I say."

"Yes, our well dried up a long time ago. We don't have water to drink, let alone farm with! We _must_ offer a sacrifice to appease Endymion; somebody _must be sacrificed_ to ensure the survival of our village! This is our family and friends' lives we are talking about!"

After the man had finished speaking, several of men murmured and whispered among themselves; they were possibly discussing the possibilities and hoping to achieve mutual agreements. Usagi couldn't hear them clearly, but it scared her when she had heard some of their words they have shared among themselves as they did consider sacrificing another young women from her village for the sake of the rest.

"Another ... sacrifice."

"No choice... shame..."

"... but maybe..."

"Which family..."

"Tragedy."

From the small distance between the two closed doors, she could make out Takashi and her father, and one other elder. After several minutes of murmuring, Takashi cleared his throat loudly to gain attention and when he had received it, he made an announcement. "I am sure that by now, everyone has come to some sort of a decision, have they not? I believe it is safe to mention that the majority of the voices I have heard throughout this room are in favor of sacrificing another maiden for another seven years of rain and food, for the good of our village. Correct me if I am wrong."

No sound was uttered, meaning what the elder had just said was correct: everyone could not think of any other methods to restore rain back to their village, so becoming desperate, a sacrifice is the only option they have left to choose from. After a minute of silence, Takashi spoke once again.

"Then if there are no objections, we shall now pick the young maiden then."

Panic gripped Usagi from his words as she dreaded to hear the name that the village council was going to choose which belonged to a female in their village, someone who she is acquainted with most presumably. There were not a lot of young girls in her village; there was just about less than twenty, who are the age of eighteen and under twenty five. In her village, it is to be believed that once a woman is over the age of twenty five and they are not wedded, they are viewed to be undesirable - an unfortunate tragedy, in most girls' cases. Although there are not a lot of girls in her village, Usagi was actually not that close to any of them except for one - her best friend, Osaka Naru.

Osaka Naru was the only individual who found Usagi's usual optimistic mood to be normal, not 'annoying' as other girls claimed it to be. And she remained to be her best friend from the age of three up till now. She crossed both of her fingers as she desperately hoped they weren't going to pick Naru - she was already devastated to see her chosen to be eaten alive by some God. What was she going to do without her best friend? Who was she going to grow old with? Other than a man in her life, of course.

She was panicking now, and she knew it. Plans quickly started to formulate in Usagi's head: after the village council's confirm that it is Naru, she's going to run over to her house as fast as her legs could carry her, and get her to understand and to remain calm about the situation although it would be hard to before helping her run away-

She lost her train of thought when she had heard her own name being called out from Hino Takashi's lips. Not Naru's - _hers._

"Tsukino Usagi. She shall be the one chosen to be the sacrifice for Endymion for the sake of our village." he announced.

After hearing her name, she couldn't believe her ears. At first, she thought she heard wrong and tried to shake it off as she was lost for words. _Her? _Tsukino Usagi, the number one klutz in their village? She's the one who was going to be sacrificed for some legendary God? It was no surprise that she was shocked since the qualifications to be a sacrifice is that the girl must be pure, and she must be very pretty to appease him.

Usagi knew she was considered 'pure' since she did not lose her virginity nor did she ever sleep with a man, but she did not considered herself to be very pretty while Naru, on the other hand, had the boys flocking over to her with a wiggle of her finger! And not only was her best friend very attractive, she had the manners of a lady, while she lacked them in comparison.

Despite feeling shocked over her village head's announcement, she was feeling relieved that it was Naru that they had chosen, that it was her instead - Naru could live a happy life now since she would be past the age of twenty five when the village would need another sacrifice after the next seven years.

While Usagi was trying view the entire situation in a positive light, her father could not do the same. He had stood up abruptly from the floor, knocking over his tea which shattered into pieces when it came in contact with the floor, which he paid no mind to. He was too infuriated to even notice, care even. When he spoke, Usagi had never heard him talk like that; it was too out of character judging from her father's appearance and the usual tone he used.

"I'm sorry Hino-san, but maybe my ears have deceived me, but was it my daughter's name that came from your lips?"

Takashi shook his head before he solemnly replied, "No, your ears have not deceived you, Tsukino-san. Tsukino Usagi shall be sacrificed to Endymion, for the greater good of our village."

Gradually, Kenji's face transformed. At first he was enraged that the higher member had confirmed that it was indeed his daughter he was going to lose. Then confusion as he tried to comprehend the reason why they had chosen her, his only daughter. Then misery swept over him when he realized that then he would never see Usagi ever again. A single tear escaped from his eye and after that, he attempted with great difficulty to not cry in front of the other men. But when he spoke, his voice lacked anger - desperation had filled its place.

"Is there truly no other way? Can we not import water from a nearby village? Can we just... it's my baby girl, Hino-san."

Hearing her father sounding so defeated conjured up feelings of sadness within her. Hell, if she could, she wanted to burst into the room to hug and comfort her dad as she would try to soothe him, telling him that things were going to be okay and he didn't have to worry. But if she did, would her father believe her words and try to be calmer about this situation? Or was she trying to make herself feel better? Usagi's fists clenched tightly at her sides at the thought, wondering how the other girls who had been sacrificed before her, had felt when they found that they were no longer going to live.

Misery? Sadness? Happiness?

Usagi couldn't determine whether it was misery or sadness for her.

"Tsukino-san, I truly do apologize. But Usagi is the perfect candidate; she is a pretty young lady, and surely you remember the words from the fortune teller that Endymion would not accept any less from the village. He would take it as if we are ungrateful of him for the rain he has provided us for hundreds of years." Takashi stated, turning away from her father in order to block the look of desperation written all over his face. Such a face is considered to be shameful when talking to one who holds a higher rank than one in the village, but Kenji could not care less at the moment.

Usagi wondered then if her father had accepted the decision of Hino Takashi, which is equal to the other members of the village council. Will he allow them to sacrifice her life to bring rain and food into the village, or will he fight for her life? If she were placed in his situation, she felt shameful to admit that she would have no other choice but to let the village council sacrifice her only daughter away. How would she able to, if she were in her father's place, reject them? Especially since all of them have worked so hard to keep their village in order, to make sure everyone is fed and to keep them from harm for many years.

How would she be able to turn her back to a group of men like that?

But her father insisted to fight for Usagi's life, since he said, "Then I shall take my family and move far away from this village! If we are no longer part of this village, then my daughter will not be sacrificed anymore - I can spare her life from this fate. Will that be possible, Hino-san?"

There was a moment of silence before Usagi's father received a reply. "Tsukino-san, you are not the only man who have proposed the idea to me as there have been several others before you -"

"What a traitorous thought, Tsukino-san! Accept the destiny that has landed upon your family like the man you are!" a member shouted angrily. "You simply cannot leave the village and believe that you've saved your daughter's life - if you do, then what about the rest of us? While you save her, you're going to kill us all? Not only are you a citizen of this village, you're a council member as well, Tsukino-san. So accept your responsibilities and save us all."

"So in the end, you still believe that my daughter is being sacrificed for the _greater good_, do you not?" there was a mocking tone in Kenji's reply, which the other members chose to ignore. They could empathize what he was feeling, how he was going to feel when Usagi will no longer live in the village. A silent chill passed through each men as they pictured themselves in Tsukino Kenji's place.

"It really is unfortunate how it comes to this, Tsukino-san. But please, accept your daughter's fate soon - the sooner the better," Takashi whispered solemnly, and his tone slightly implied that he no longer wanted to have this conversation with his fellow council member. "Instead of fretting over this matter, you should be spending time with your family."

There was a long moment of hushed silence before Kenji hardly whispered, "When is she..."

"Tomorrow afternoon; we need Endymion to bestow our village with water as soon as possible," replied the head council member. "People are dying from dehydration and starvation as we speak!"

"... I see." mumbled Kenji, his voice sounding small and weak. It was the end of the meeting as the circle of men slowly started to get up from the floor and made their way to the exit, where only the head of the Tsukino family remained.

Usagi was thankful that the members exited through the other door instead of the one she was leaning against. But she couldn't say the same about her situation; tonight was going to be the last night she was going to spend in the village, the place where she grew up in with her loving family. The idea did not settle with her stomach since she wasn't hungry anymore and she felt as if she was breaking and all she wanted to do was scream and cry out her frustration, which she couldn't do; she was separated from her father from a thin door, and she didn't want him to discover that she had overheard their conversation. The last thing she wanted to do was to bring her father more misery.

"I can't believe this..." she heard her father quietly grumble he had fisted the floor.

She then heard her father leave the family room, hearing him sniffle a little bit. And when she was sure that he was completely out of her ear shot, her knees completely gave out as she slumped onto the floor. Usagi couldn't stop the tears from cascading down her cheeks.

"I can't believe this either, father... it feels so surreal."

_I can't believe some God is going to devour me alive. _

oOo

For once in her life, Usagi couldn't sleep at all. Instead, she spent the entire night just staring out her window, gazing at the village below as she reminisced her past which consisted mainly her family and her best friend Osaka Naru while some tears have escaped from her eyes now and then. Just how could she leave her life behind? She asked herself that question the entire night.

How could she leave her overly optimistic mom with her butterfingers alone? She would have broken endless numbers of their plates and cups if she hadn't taken over kitchen duty! Usagi's klutziness had originated from her mother, except her case was much more severe. Whenever her mom neared a knife, the entire family would panic incase her grip would slip in which a disaster would usually occur... But other than that, her mom was the most supportive and caring person she had ever met - and she loved her whole-heartedly for it.

Her father, on the other hand, was a responsible man as he takes care of the entire family. Like her mother, her father contained a kind personality which complimented them both well. Although Usagi wasn't born as a male, which she would be considered as a disappointment to most fathers, Kenji never discarded any attention for her and gave her his all along with her younger brother Shingo.

In a way, Usagi regretted of not getting along well with Shingo because she would never see him mature gradually over the years (or perhaps he wouldn't mature - it's _Shingo_, for crying out loud). But she would miss her spunky sibling greatly; without his trouble-making ways, her life would have been a bit dull. And not only that, she knew that deep down, he really does care for her although he denies it every time it was brought up...

A loud shrill was heard downstairs; her father must have informed her mother of decision made at last night's council meeting because soon, sounds of glass plates being shattered while her father was desperately telling her mom to calm her temper followed after.

"Tsukino Kenji, _how could you_! That's my baby girl's life you men decided to throw away!"

"Ikuko, please! Calm down and we shall talk about this-"

More sounds of glass shattering could be heard before her mom hysterically replied, "Oh, so you want to _talk _about this? You're ridiculous, Kenji!"

"Ikuko...-"

Sighing, Usagi pulled up her bed covers over her head as an attempt to block out her parents' argument. She did _not _need this right now; she didn't want to see her parents bickering at each other's faces on her last day among the living. She wanted to leave in contentment - she wished her parents would fake their happiness and be proud that it was _their _daughter that was chosen out of all the girls in the village... and for Shingo to give her a big bear hug before she left.

Few moments later, there was a knock on her door before it was opened and her mother stepped into her noticed the odd box she was carrying in her arms, but before she got the opportunity to ask her mom what was inside of the box, she was suddenly pulled into her mother's arms as she embraced her deeply. When her mother spoke, her voice sounded a little shaky.

"Usagi, oh my baby..."

She mumbled against her mother's blue wavy hair as she patted her back reassuringly while being hold in a death grip. It was as if her mother wanted to be assured that she was real, that she wasn't going to be leaving her forever.

"It'll be okay, okaa-san," but her mom didn't seem convinced since she reluctantly released her and slowly turned her focus on the box which was lying beside her. "What's inside the box?"

Ikuko opened the box with hesitating fingers and placed it in front of Usagi to peer inside of it. There was a light pink colored kimono with patterns of rose petals with an extravagant obi along with a pair of zori. She had never laid her eyes on these pieces of extravagant clothing before so she wondered how her mom came across the beautiful silk kimono - this surely must have cost a fortune.

"Hino-san personally delivered the box for you, Usagi," her mother explained softly, equally admiring the kimono like her daughter. "He said you should wear the best when you are to be presenting yourself to Endymion at noon,"

"Oh, how nice of him to deliver something real fancy," was Usagi's bitter reply, resenting the idea of her sacrifice every growing second. Under her breath, she muttered, "only for it to get eaten by some ferocious God."

Ikuko blinked. "What was that, Usagi?"

"Nothing!" she squeaked in reply. Her mother brought the kimono out of the box and slowly ran her fingers down it, with a look of longing in her eyes. She seemed to snap out of her trance a moment later before giving her daughter a forced smile.

"Come now, Usagi. I'll help you get changed into your outfit."

Usagi obeyed her mother's instructions as she changed into her new kimono and had her obi tied in darari-style. Once completed, she began to work on her hair as she grabbed a nearby brush. There was two small buns on the top of her head and the remaining length of hair flowed by her side - her signature hairstyle. It's what made her _Usagi_, it's what made her stand out from the other girls in the village.

Ikuko took a step back and gave her a bittersweet smile as she admired her work. She let out a wisful sigh."You know, Usagi, I've always wanted to see you wear a beautiful kimono for your wedding... but it's funny how life plays its events."

She forced herself to not break down and cry, especially not in front of her mother. Instead, Usagi diverted her eyes from the other woman and agreed with her. "Yes. And twisted, too, might I add."

There was a moment of awkward silence where neither women didn't know what words should be said. They wanted to talk to one another as they wished to make the best of the moment, but neither couldn't help themselves but to bring up the inevitable topic.

Her mother decided to speak first. She cleared her throat a few times before she gently told her daughter, "If you want to cry, you can cry Usagi."

Usagi shook her head vigorously. She didn't want to make the entire situation worse by shedding her tears, nor did she want to bring disgrace upon her family when she leaves for the lake with red puffy eyes where rest of the villagers awaited to bade their farewells.

"I don't want to look unpresentable for Endymion." she practically spat her answer, her voice laced with a bitter tone.

Her mother did not reply to her statement. Instead, she wrapped her arms tightly around Usagi's shoulders in order to comfort her. Slowly, Usagi's sadness began to fade away as she felt warm in her mother's embrace and felt the love she was surrounded with. They remained in that position until the door slammed open and Shingo came charging inside, looking furious.

"Is it true?" he demanded loudly, startling both women. Usagi had never seen her younger brother so infuriated in her life, but here he was, standing in front of them as he looked displeased. His eyes were blazing angrily while his lips were thin in displeasure.

Ikuko quietly answered, "Yes, Shingo. It's true,"

He let out a frustrated yell as he threw his hands up in the air. Shingo glared at his mother when he questioned, "Are you letting them take Usagi away, okaa-san?"

"What other choice does she have, Shingo?" it was Usagi who spoke this time. She couldn't stare at her sibling's eyes as she flatly stated, "If I don't go, then you, okaa-san, otou-san, and everybody else will die."

"Onee-san..."

Mustering up the biggest smile she could in her situation, Usagi flashed one for her brother. "I'll be okay, Shingo. Don't worry about me too much, alright? It's not healthy." she teased him at the end, sticking her tongue out.

Shingo didn't return her smile.

Soon, the chiming of bells could be heard throughout the village; it was calling for a meeting, or in this case, it was for announcing that the time has come. It was time for Usagi to be sacrificed as her presence was required at the salty lake.

"I guess it's time," Usagi announced lamely, playing with the sleeves of her kimono as she wrinkled them to calm the nerves which she felt swirling in the pit of her stomach.

"Mm," Shingo turned around and left the room first, with Ikuko and Usagi following behind him. They were greeted by Kenji who stood there as he looked terribly worn out and his eyes contained a faint shade of red - Usagi assumed he was trying his hardest not to cry, which he sort of failed.

She nodded her head in acknowledgment of his presence. "Otou-san,"

Her father let out a strangled cry then, expressing his difficulty of the ability to speak. "Usagi... I'm so sorry." He nearly choked on his words.

Usagi waved her hand off-handedly, silently telling her father that it's alright and that she had forgiven him. She didn't want to hold a grudge before she died; she wanted to say goodbye peacefully and for it to be filled with love.

She slipped into her pair of zori and turned around to face her family members. Usagi gave them a small twirl and shyly asked, "How do I look?"

"Beautiful," her father sighed.

Shingo asked in a small voice, "Honestly, onee-san, do you really care how you look for that God?"

Usagi shook her head before she lightly responded, "No, it's not for the God. I wanted you to remember me at my best since it's the last time I'll possibly see you guys, ne?"

No one found her light humor to be enjoyable since they didn't even smile. Sighing, Usagi's shoulders slumped before she placed her hand on the door handle and twisted it open, taking a step outside of her house with her family members behind her. They all walked in an awkward silence towards the great lake, where everyone was awaiting for she walked closer towards the lake, she could hear people whispering among the crowd; they were talking about _her _and her situation.

"... only eighteen, so young. Poor thing..."

"It is good luck that she is not our daughter..."

"... just unlucky; after all, somebody had to be sacrificed."

"If it's not me, then it doesn't matter who it is..."

Hino Takashi emerged from the crowd and decided to give some sort of a grand announcement as the whispering around her ceased. He gave Usagi a small smile despite the grim situation, but it was for her bravery as most girls would have been crying their eyes out by now. But unlike most girls, she remained calm - stoic, even, since she already dried her eyes the entire night.

"Tsukino Usagi, you are one brave young lady. Many young ladies before you have come and begged for us to save their lives, but you... not even once have you begged neither Endymion nor us to spare your life. You truly are one courageous young lady, and you will be surely missed. We all appreciate you for allowing yourself to be sacrificed for the village, for rain will be bestowed upon us and we shall continue to live as our crops will flourish."

He made it sound as if he was giving a eulogy, and the thought did not sit well with Usagi one bit. She politely gave him a small nod and shook his hand when it was offered to her. After that, it was the time for her to say her final goodbyes to her life and the people she was leaving behind.

Her mother was the first as she hugged her for the third time of the day, but she released all her feelings out in one hug. At first, she was saying how she much she loved her profusely before she listed all the things she had done for the family, and how much she will be missed in the village and in the household.

Her father just hugged her tightly and simply said, "I love you, Usagi. And again, I really am sorry for allowing this to happen to you."

Shingo wasn't able to move an inch, so Usagi had to go up to him and give him a tight hug. When he didn't say anything, she lightly teased him. "I guess you won't have anyone to pick on anymore, isn't that right, Shingo?"

He cracked a smile as he returned her hug. "You were the only one who was worth picking on, onee-san."

Laughter bubbled from the blonde as she released her younger brother. She tousled his sandy-colored hair for the last time as she confessed, "I'm going to miss you, squirt."

"Me too,"

Usagi then turned to where her best friend stood and gave her a small bittersweet smile. "Are you going to miss me, Naru-chan?"

Naru sniffled a several times before she replied, "Of course, Usagi-chan!" she ran over to her best friend and enveloped her into a big hug as their fifteen years of friendship was coming to an end. "I'm going to miss you so much..."

"Me too,"

Her best friend then leaned over to her ear and whispered, "I just wanted you to be the first one to know; Umino-san had just proposed to me last night! We're getting married soon."

"Congratulations!" Usagi beamed at her friend as she was going end up with the love of her life, a dream which she had always wanted to make happen ever since she was a little girl; to find someone who would love her with all of them and she returned their feelings as well.

"Thanks, Usagi-chan," said Naru, giving her best friend a small smile while her eyes became glossy as tears threatened to spill from her eyes. "May you find happiness as well."

She decided not to elaborate more on her life as she gave her a small smile and politely thanked her. Usagi wasn't sure how this whole sacrificing procedure worked, but she slowly took small steps towards the lake while she was facing the villagers as she did so. Everyone was waving their arms goodbye, but she wasn't paying attention to them - her eyes only saw her family and Naru.

Her right feet landed on a wet surface; Usagi knew she was one step into the lake now. Before she took her other feet into the water, she gave them her biggest smile as she tried to look cheerful. "Goodbye, everyone!" and when both of her feet were in the water, everything happened in a blur.

The village near the salty lake lost a young woman called Tsukino Usagi as the villagers observed her being swallowed up in the shallow water, only to disappear from the face of Earth.

* * *

AN: I hope you enjoyed the beginning, although not much action went on..

But it was important since it explained how the Endymion is viewed in the village, and how he 'originated' I guess. And it just shows what kind of life Usagi came from, I guess. And how everything is going to change for her...

It's kind of ironic how on one day, Usagi finds out she's going to be sacrificed while Naru got proposed. Oh life works funny.

And oh Gods, after completing this chapter, I really do admire other authors out there who write over ten-thousand words per chapter. I haven't ever tried, but I don't think I'm going to attempt it :l This much took a lot out of me already! :(

Thanks for reading and review please!


	2. Chapter II

AN: Thanks for the reviews everyone! It made me happy that everyone enjoyed the first chapter! ^^ And again, here is another introductory chapter of the realm where Usagi is now in, along with some familiar faces. To keep this story simple, I will not be using a lot of characters since I don't want to neglect some and it'd be more... troublesome ): so unfortunately, as much as I love the outer senshi, they would not be in here.

And totally random, but Mui (from the original book of The Bride of the Water God) is soo hot *w * heheh. But the characters in Sailor Moon are hot, too! :D But check out the original manga whenever you have the time! It's pretty enjoyable, but I didn't really end up getting to the end of it since... it wasn't completed when I was reading it at the time. :l

**YingYing**: That's very true, since the summary made it pretty obvious who she's going to fall for. But no worries, I already made plans on how the story would progress if it were Mamoru she would fall for :)

**Jess:** Sorry for the disappoint! But I just... lost my motivation :S

Summary: Many beautiful women were offered to the Water God in order to please him so he would allow rain to fall from the sky. But when it was Tsukino Usagi's turn to be sacrificed, she discovered things get quite complicated when she falls in love with another.

* * *

_The Sacrifice_

Chapter II

* * *

When Usagi opened her eyes, she felt as if she was in a dream. It wasn't because she was sleeping while lying afloat on a large body of shallow water earlier, but it was the view she was greeted with. There were floating rocks, and she could see several colorful planets orbiting along with the moon. But along those lines of planets, she could not find her planet: Earth. She wondered right then whether she was still on Earth. If not, then where was she?

A chill ran through her body then as another suggestion entered her head.

Was she dead?

Shaking the thought off her head, she forced herself to sit up from the shallow body of water. Her blond tresses now felt heavy and her clothing sticked as if it were a second layer of her skin as she was drenched from head-to-zori. When she stepped onto the land, she strangely did not feel cold at all as there was no breeze and the sun's rays were showering down on her, providing warmth.

Usagi looked down at her ruined pair of zori's and contemplated about abandoning them. The straps broke when she was engulfed by strong wave of water when she had stepped into the salty lake of her village. She struggled with them as she walked, but she did not wish to remain shoe-less. She sighed.

"Why do these things happen to me?" she asked no one in particular and her lips pouted a little in displeasure.

She soon saw an outline of a yellow colored furisode facing her. Cautiously, her eyes slowly rose from the ground to the face of a female stranger who offered her a small smile. She had twin small buns on top of her head with navy curly locks that fell all over her body down to her waist. She had bright blue eyes and appeared to be around her age, or perhaps few years older.

The woman gave her a small bow then as she introduced herself. "Welcome. I am Luna and I am in charge of the palace," when she lifted her head back up, she inched her body towards the opposite direction from the human girl. "Please follow me, I will guide you to where Endymion-sama is."

Usagi could only nod her head out of courtesy. "My name is Tsukino Usagi," she said before she began to follow the other woman.

At first, she only saw more of the floating rocks which seemed to disinterest her after catching glimpses of them for endless minutes of walking. But soon, she could make out the outskirt of an ancient village with symmetrical rows of shinden-zukuri style houses. Not only that, she noticed how every household consisted of an extravagant garden with a large body of a pond with laughing children who played in them.

She felt somewhat jealous of how her village lacked of what the people in this land had. They all looked very happy as they did not have to worry about the lack of food or good health with a deity looking over them as he would supply them with endless amount of water. And she could not help but to bitterly assume that _they_ did not have to sacrifice a female villager every seven years to get the water that was currently filled in their garden ponds.

They approached a gate which separated them from the village she had just seen. There were six soldiers on guard, and no faces could be identified since all of them wore helmets which covered their faces and hair, except for their eyes in order to see. They were armored heavily elsewhere and were mounted on horses, with swords strapped onto their sides.

When one of the soldiers flickered their gaze down to meet Luna, he bowed his head down respectfully before waving a hand to another soldier to open the gate. The other woman merely nodded her head to acknowledge him before the same soldier's eyes landed on Usagi.

"And this is?" he asked the other woman.

Luna smiled as she placed her hands on Usagi's stiff shoulders in order to calm her nervous state under the soldier's stare. "This is Endymion-sama's guest, and I am merely acting as a guide." she explained formally.

_More like his dinner_, Usagi wanted to correct the other woman. But she bit her tongue from speaking out rudely as she did not wish to disrespect the conversation between Luna and the soldier.

The soldier nodded his head in understanding. He would not question any actions which involved their water deity, which could question his loyalty from the position he held. His eyes left the blond as he bowed his head down to her. "I see. As Endymion-sama's guest, you are welcomed to the village, as well."

"Thank you," was all Usagi could say before she left abruptly to follow Luna, who was already taking her first steps into the village.

As they were walking towards the heart of the village, where Endymion resided, Luna was explaining to Usagi about her surroundings and the land she was currently in. According to Luna, they were in the land of Terra in the realm of the Gods. Her village and Terra was only separated by a enormous body of water which served as a barrier, where its waves would prevent unwelcoming visitors from entering.

In this realm, everyone consisted of having mystical powers. Like Luna, everyone was immortal and could live up to hundreds and thousands of years until they no longer desired to continue to walk among the living. But only few individuals were blessed with elemental powers, such as Endymion with the element of water. Their immortality rested on the Ginzuishō, which brought peace and prosperity to Terra.

The Ginzuishō was a present from the Moon Goddess to the Terranian ruler, Endymion, when they first encountered one another. It was told that since she loved another planet apart from her own, she wished to share the power of the Ginzuishō to another ruler, offering an alliance between the two kingdoms. And the two of them formed a peace treaty between their kingdoms and held an event for their fateful encounter: the Lunar Ball.

Luna mentioned that the Lunar Ball was to be held every year, where everyone from different planets would make a visit to Terra to Endymion's Mizu kingdom. They would hold celebrations and it would be an exquisite masquerade, since Endymion stated that he and the Moon Goddess would always wear masks at events before their peace treaty whenever they had their rendezvous.

"When is this Lunar Ball?" Usagi inquired. She was fascinated by the stories of this land, and a small part of her hoped to be alive to go to the big event. It sounded interesting; wearing a mask and meet people, not knowing who they are and they would not know who she is either.

"Ah, exactly twenty-one days from today," Luna answered. Her lips curled up in a small smile as she let out an inaudible sigh as she seemed to be replaying a fond memory in her head. "It shall be another memorable day of the year..."

Both women entered the palace, and Usagi was amazed by the sight of it. It was vast in size and she could not see the ends of a hallway. Its pillars were nearly transparent with swirls of water flowing around them, complimenting the pale tiles set on the floor. She was in awe of how water was so available in this realm, and how it would bring wonders if her people were to have some its wealthy share.

It seemed as if there was no one else present at the moment since they were not approached by anyone. Usagi kind of expected Endymion to materialize out of water right in front of them, as if they knew of their presence in his palace. But she was kind of disappointed when it was not so.

She was curious of how the water deity looked like. Did he consist of a human form, or did he appear to look like a scary monster? Usagi's shoulders stiffened at the thought of seeing a face of a horrible monster before he had eaten her. But then felt even sick of some human involved with cannibalism...

Luna turned around then and stared at her wet attire. She clicked her tongue as she shook her head disapprovingly. "Wait right here, I shall go and get you a change of clothing. I do not wish for you to get sick while you are here, it would be troublesome."

Usagi did not realize that she had been walking around with wet clothes for the entire time until now ever since she had left the lake. She looked down and nodded, giving the other woman an appreciative smile. "Thank you," she said. With a nod, Luna disappeared in one of the many hallways.

As Luna instructed, Usagi remained where she was for awhile. But as minutes passed, she was growing impatient as her desire to explore the palace before she could no longer to do so was nagging at the back of her head. While she wanted to go off on her own, she did not wish to impose trouble upon the other woman, who had been nothing but kind to her ever since she arrived in this realm.

_Maybe I should just wait here for her,_ she opted with a small frown. It was, after all, the right thing to do since Luna had her place in this palace while she did not. In a way, she would be disobeying the closest to the owner's household.

Then another voice nagged at her. _Then again, it _isn't _her household. It's Endymion's..._

_Ah, that's so true, _Usagi agreed with her other voice as she nodded her head to emphasize. As she decided to venture out throughout the palace, she felt excitement and panic arising in her. Feeling nervous, she began to bite her lower lip out of habit as she could not help but to hope that by the time she gets bored of exploring around on her own, Luna would not get mad. Furious, to be exact.

At first, she hesitantly took small steps from where she was standing. Since no one was currently present around her, her confidence grew as she began to take big, bold yet careful steps as she randomly chose a hallway to start her adventure from.

Usagi observed how every door she passed were decorated differently. Yet, they were similar at the same time. The doors were colorful as they were painted to make them appear grand, as all of them symbolized nature. She saw doors which consisted different types of flowers, trees, and some were beautiful scenery as they emphasized the difference of the four seasons. This realm is most likely symbolized with nature since its presence dominates.

A prickling feeling was picking at her. A feeling of being watched, which she did not find pleasant. Her eyes searched her surroundings but she could not find another presence. But when she turned around to a pillar, she was certain she saw a flash of silver which disappeared after she blinked. Shaking her head, she shook off the thought.

_I must be getting too paranoid_, Usagi lightly scolded herself as she shook off the feeling before continuing with her walk.

Several numbers of girls were scurrying past her as they appeared to be in a rush to perform their duties. Some had mops and buckets. Some had several pieces of exquisite fabrics. Some had been carrying rolls of scrolls in their arms. Some of them gave her a glance as they hurriedly passed her, while some did not spare her one at all. Either they were too busy, or they did not have the time to be concerned of a presence of an outsider. As long as they did not mean to bring any harm, that is. And Usagi could not hurt a bug even if she was not afraid of them; the thought of ending a life did not sit in well with her.

"I wonder what's in those scrolls," mused the blonde as her lips quirked with curiosity. Would they contain amusing historic tales of this realm, or would they contain forbidden secrets that should not be exposed at all? Usagi kept a mental note in her head to ask Luna if there was such thing as a library in this palace, so if she was granted permission to, she would spend her time reading before she could not read any longer and get eaten up by some God himself.

The hallways were starting to look identical now, and Usagi was now growing bored. Although she should be worried about making back to her spot where Luna would be waiting for her, she was not. Excluding the fact that she forgot how to get back there, she slowly grew less conscious of what the other woman would think of her; it was not as if she was going to be graced in her presence for a long time anyways. And if she was lost, she would merely ask one of the girls for directions to locate Luna.

She started to take small steps backwards as her eyes danced around her surroundings aimlessly as she sort of hoped to bump into the other woman randomly, saving her the hassle of trying to locate her.

As she took more and more steps, there was no one in sight. Her hope of randomly bumping into Luna kind of diminished, but Usagi refused to be discouraged. Besides, the woman said she consisted of mystical powers so perhaps finding her could be one of her hidden abilities, she would never know. But as she took more steps, she was reminded of how the straps of her zori were loose and if she were not to be careful, she could trip when she would least expect it.

Soon, her steps came to a halt as she roughly came into a sudden contact with someone. Or their chest, to be specific. She only gained this knowledge because she could feel their abdominal muscles tightening tensely against the small of her back as it was a part of their reflex. It did not take an idiot to realize that the person behind her had possibly assumed she was a threat, because who would really carelessly walk backwards? Except for herself, of course.

"Oh Gods, I'm so sorry-"

Usagi attempted to turn her body around to properly face the person she had bumped into, but then her words got cut off as her zori's straps snapped. She knew she should have gotten rid of them in the first place! Inwardly, she cringed in embarrassment of what was to come. She did not wish to impose an awkward first impression on the second person she would come in contact with in Terra, but she guessed her carelessness made that inevitable.

But instead of coming in contact with the hard tiles of the floor, she was enveloped into a pair of muscular arms instead. She blinked. Just what happened? Wasn't she going to end up on the floor and embarrass herself harshly in front of a stranger? It appeared as if that was not the case as her eyes slowly rose to meet a pair of sapphire orbs staring right at her.

"It's fine," the man said as he assisted in correcting her stance. When Usagi was stable on her feet, his arms released their hold on her. "I hope you're not injured from our collision."

But Usagi could not help but to let out a small gasp as she took in the stranger's appearance. He was the most attractive male she had ever encountered, which was pretty pitiful of her since she had to leave her village in order to come across a person like him. No doubt that no male in her village could compare to him. He had a lean yet muscular body that was covered by a black uniform with light blue lining on the edges with small silver stars as a part of its design. His long black hair was a bit messy but it was kept neatly tied back in a slick low-tail and his eyes complimented his pretty face well.

"I... uh..." she willed her mouth to work properly, as she hoped this man would not come to the conclusion that she had speaking disabilities.

The man's head tilted to the side in confusion as he visibly showed concern for the blond. Placing a hand on her arm to express his feelings of worry, he asked, "Are you alright?"

"I... yer..." Usagi managed to stammer out nervously. She wanted to slap herself across the face or at least get a grip of herself! Why was she acting so nervous in front of this man? Is it because he's the most attractive male she had ever encountered? Yes, but still... A large part of her hoped that whenever she would come across another pretty face, she would not be acting like the nervous git that she was now.

"Oi, Odango, is there something wrong with you?"

His question seemed to break her nervous state as her eyes narrowed at the attractive stranger, indicating that she was not pleased with his nickname for her. Especially one that mocked her traditional hairstyle!

"Don't call me that!" Usagi snapped. She would normally present herself in a polite manner to others, especially strangers. But for him, he was an exception because he made fun of her hairstyle which she took a lot of pride in.

The man placed both of his hands up as a shield from her as he gave her a small smile. "Hey, don't get so uptight about it, Odango. I was just wondering if your mouth had frozen up on you." he spoke with a carefree tone, a friendly one even which puzzled Usagi. Weren't people supposed to address each other politely with manners?

Clearly, he did not know this since he addressed her in a friendly manner. The way he talked to her made her feel as if she had been friends with him for a very long time.

"Look here, do you normally treat people like this while giving them a nickname to mock their hairstyle?" Usagi huffed.

The man shook his head. "No, no. Just you, Odango - and I am being honest. Truly, I have never come across anyone so amusing," he said, and he really did look amused of her since his eyes brightened.

Usagi frowned. Oh, the nerve of this man! She appreciated his blunt honesty, but at the same time, she did not appreciate his nickname for her. "No offense, but are you normally this... honest?" she asked him hesitantly as she did not wish to offend him.

"I try, because it's what makes me appear to be a dashing individual," was the man's honest reply.

"You-" Usagi never got around to what she was going to say since she was interrupted.

"Ah, there you are!" both heads turned towards the source of the third voice. Luna was walking towards them with folded fabric in her arms. Her change of clothing, Usagi presumed since that was the reason why the other woman had left her in the first place. Luna's eyes shifted from her to the stranger before she gave him a small bow out of respect and greeting.

"Fighter-san, what a pleasant surprise to see you here," greeted Luna.

The man called Fighter nodded his head in agreement. "It is pleasant to see you as well, Luna. I hope my presence among the palace is not troubling you or Endymion-sama."

"No, no. Of course not," the woman assured him with a wave of her hand. "Fighter-san, you, along with other Tankei guardians are welcomed every year along with Kakyuu-hime for the celebration of the Lunar Ball."

Usagi's brows knitted together as she heard the stranger's name. Fighter? It sounded weird on her lips since she was used to people having normal civilian names such as her and her villagers. To her, his name sounded as if it were a title instead.

The man must have seen her confusion since he turned to her and grinned. With a bow, he introduced himself to her. "The name's Fighter, and I am from the Tankei Kingdom of the planet Kinmokusei. If the name alienates you, you may call me Seiya."

"Seiya?" repeated Usagi as she tested it out on her tongue. "Is that your real name or did you just make it up on the spot?"

Seiya easily answered, "It's my alias."

Usagi nodded before she decided to introduce herself as well. "I'm Tsukino Usagi," she decided to give him only her name because unlike him, she assumed it would sound kind of ridiculous to say she is from a different realm as it would most likely to bring unwanted questions from the man. The questions she would definitely not be comfortable answering, considering her situation and the reason why she is even here in the first place.

But unfortunately, the man asked her a question that was relatively close to the subject she wanted to avoid: "Ah, are you one of the girls who work here, Tsukino-san? Perhaps that is the reason why I have never seen your face before."

She wanted to shout out that she wasn't one of the girls who work in this palace as they speed-walk in the hallways to perform their duties. Instead, she is here as some sort of a dinner of the God which resides here. But she knew she couldn't tell him _that_ because one, Luna was here with them. And two, she would sound like a lunatic.

Luna seemed to notice her distress since she shifted her feet uncomfortably when he asked her the question. So she decided to answer for her. "No. She is Endymion-sama's guest, Fighter-san."

"Ah, I see."

"Yes," Luna spoke with a tone that indicated that she was ready to end the conversation. "Well, it certainly was a pleasure to speak with you, Fighter-san. But if would excuse us, we must get going. I have to change her clothes before she develops some sickness."

It was then Seiya seemed to notice her semi-wet attire before he nodded in understanding.

With a quick bow, Luna began to usher her towards another hallway and Usagi allowed herself to be dragged freely. She wanted a change of clothing, after all. And replace her shoes, to boot.

"Tsukino-san," Seiya's voice caused both women to pause. Usagi turned her head around to see him with a smile present on his face when he asked, "Will I be seeing you at the Lunar Ball?"

Usagi gave him an uneasy smile. "I certainly hope so," she answered honestly before following Luna down the hallway. _I certainly hope to see him again, if Endymion had not taken me in for a meal by then…_

As both women walked in silence, Usagi found it strange of how the way he addressed her had changed dramatically when Luna joined their company. It showed her how Seiya could be so friendly yet be full of manners at the same time. But she thought his friendly and outgoing side suited him better, in her opinion. Maybe it was wistful thinking, but she sent a small prayer to the above that she would run into him once more. She longed for company or a friend while she was trying to adapt to this new realm.

_I want to see him again…_ she wished longingly for a stranger whom she had just met.

But then again, did it really matter if she were to see him again? She was going to be eaten by Endymion, for heaven's sakes! Without realizing it, Usagi let out a sad sigh as a frown graced upon her lips. Luna seemed to notice from the corner of her eyes without turning her head since she asked, "Is something displeasing you?"

"I... I just feel a bit confused, I suppose." she admitted. She was confused of how her life was going to end, but she wasn't going to tell Luna that. She wanted to ask whether she was required to take a bath so she would be all nice and warm for as Endymion's meal, or would he prefer her to be messy? "I'm just unsure of my role for being here..."

"Ah, do not be concerned about that," Luna told her, placing her hand on top of the blond's. She gave it comforting pats. "You shall soon know. Endymion-sama will notify you of your role in Terra, Tsukino-san."

"Usagi."

"Pardon?"

"Please call me by Usagi," she requested softly. "It feels weird for anyone to address me by my family name,"

Luna nodded as she complied with the younger girl's wish. "Okay, Usagi-san," the other girl followed her to a front of a door which was at the end of the hallway they were walking in, isolated from the others. It was big, white and consisted of gold lining with dark red colored rose petals as its designs.

"It's so pretty," whispered Usagi as she admired the designs of the door. She was always fond of flowers, especially red roses. She loved its meaning that it held, as well - Usagi was always a fan of romance after all, even if she did not have any lovers in her life.

"I am glad, since you will be using this room for the time being," Luna told her as she opened its doors to reveal the inside of the room to her. There was a bed in the centre of the room with a bathroom on one side of the room, with a big window on another. Luna gestured to the bathroom as she entered with Usagi behind, "You may get changed here. And if you need anything, do not hesitate to call out my name - I will be summoned whenever you need me, Usagi-san."

Usagi blinked. So Luna would materialize out of nowhere whenever she called out her name? She wondered if she had placed some sort of a summoning seal on her mouth or something, because she wasn't sure how this would work. But then again, she was in a whole new realm where everything was all new to her so she shouldn't doubt her words. "I see. Thank you, Luna."

"It is my pleasure."

She was handed of the yukata which was tucked in Luna's arm before she was left alone in the big room. Usagi looked down at the yukata in her arms before she let out a sigh. She would not waste time dawdling and get sick when she could be warm in new and dry clothing.

When she walked into the bathroom, she looked at her reflection in the mirror and wanted to laugh. Usagi knew she did not appear presentable at all to the water deity and wasn't sure whether she should be thankful that he had not seen her at this state or not. Her hair looked messy and out of place as her buns looked as if they were to be sagging while struggling to be in its place. Her clothing now contained wrinkles and her footwear was broken. She looked as if she had been standing in a rainstorm for hours, but she was now dry.

As she began to strip out of her kimono, she let out a sigh. Hino Takashi's gift to her from the village was good as ruined, but unfortunately for their hassles, Endymion has yet to see her in their gift. It was a shame, since she knew a kimono this exquisite must have burned a hole into the village's income. She rolled her eyes at their choice of spending; instead of spending tons of money on her kimono which was expected to be devoured by Endymion, she would have preferred if they had spent the money on grain for their impoverished village instead.

When she was free from her clothing, Usagi let her hair down before walked over to a tub and began to fill it with hot water. Once full, she stepped into the tub and soaked her body and head in until the water was just below her nose. Almost instantly she felt her muscles relaxing as her body welcomed the rush of the warm temperature. For once, ever since she arrived here, Usagi could let her guard down as she felt safe. She was alone and she was feeling happy because of the hot bath. But she knew it could not last; this feeling will go away soon. She would soon meet her executioner, Endymion - it was inevitable, after all. _He_ was the reason why she was here in the first place.

This time, Usagi decided to soak her entire head. She had to prepare for the inevitable, and she knew this time, running away was not an option. Not if she was dealing with the God himself.

oOo

When she finished her bath, she realized the sun had set long ago and was replaced by a bright full moon that was hung high up in the sky. While she knew she missed supper time, she noticed there was still no sign of Endymion at all. Usagi considered the possibility that she wasn't going to meet him at all tonight and crossed her fingers for some good luck.

She re-did her hairstyle after brushing her hair several of times before changing into the yukata that Luna had given her. It was a simple beige-colored one, designed for sleeping in the night which would serve its purpose. But the woman failed to give her a new pair of shoes and Usagi did not blame her one bit. It wasn't as if she mentioned her broken pair of zori's which were now laid in the corner of the room as it can no longer serve to be useful. She considered of throwing it away, but it brought her a memory of her village. It would serve as a memento, she decided.

Usagi walked towards her bed, sitting on it in the far corner as she looked out longingly at the moon. She was jealous of how much freedom it possessed; it could come and go whenever it pleased, and its shape would change. On some days, it would feel bold and present all of itself, or there always was a possibility of revealing half of itself or appear in a crescent shape. Or, if it doesn't want to reveal itself at all, the moon could hide itself during the new moon days.

_I wish I could just hide somewhere so no one can find me, _Usagi silently hoped.

She then thought about the short tale Luna had told her while they were walking towards the palace. The one about Endymion and the Moon Goddess. Usagi wondered whether they were either really good friends for the Moon Goddess to share the powers of the Ginzuishō, or they had been lovers. For some reason, the thought of the water deity having the Moon Goddess for a lover did not seem to settle well with her stomach since how could a person could carry feelings of compassion and love for one another while they devour a female human sacrifice every seven years?

It did not make sense to her, but Usagi knew from now on, nothing really will make sense to her. She was in a whole new world – well, realm now. She was exposed to everything that was foreign to her, to things that she would never understand. And she would never be given enough time to understand since her time is very limited; it wouldn't take long for a God to merely devour her alive when he was feeling hungry.

She sighed. _The thought of being immortal like Luna sounds so… appealing, in a way._

But she knew it can never be; her role for being here served a difference purpose from Luna's. Everyone had to meet their fate, and she had to meet hers eventually.

Usagi glanced down at her hands fisted upon the thin layer of yukata covering up her thighs. She wondered how her village was faring. Were they receiving the water they desperately needed? Were they feeding everyone now, and there had been a decrease in the number of deaths due to the scarcity of food? Was her family getting enough nutrients they need to be strong and continue to live?

Shingo needed to be fed in order to keep growing, especially a boy at his age when his growth spurt was occurring. And her mom and her dad were aging, and as they age older, they need to be healthy and get enough nutrients in order to keep on living well…

Her thoughts diminished when there was a small creaking sound of the door as it was opened, and every strand on Usagi's hair stilled in fear. She wondered if it was Luna, but then dismissed the possibility since she knew the woman would announce her presence before she would even open the door.

She remained to stare at the window, pretending to not notice the presence of another in the room. Don't panic, she told herself repeatedly in her head. Don't scream, don't do anything stupid like running off like a lunatic. These people with powers can definitely overpower you and eat your head off...

"Serenity?" the voice asked her in a hushed whisper that Usagi had to strain her ears to make out what the person had said.

A thirty degree turn of her head was all she did and the next thing she knew, she was being pounced, her body being pressed to the bed. She didn't know how that happened since it all happened in one blink of an eye, but here she was lying on top of a bed that did not belong to her with a man on top of her. A man who stole her first kiss, to be exact.

His lips first attacked hers softly. It was not some mere welcoming kiss, but one that is shared between lovers who have not seen each other for a prolonged amount of time. While his kisses were gentle, they were desperate as well. As he kissed her, Usagi felt dizzy as she could not grip on the reality and was wondering whether this was real or not - strangers certainly do not greet people like this. Not attractive ones, especially in her case.

The stranger's lips then left hers and were now traveling down to her neck, which she could not help but to emit a soft moan as they suckled gently with care. Certainly this man had discovered a tender spot that Usagi did not know existed until now. The man seemed to expect this, however. He released a dry chuckle before he continued downwards onto her collarbone.

_Is this even real? Is this really happening right now? _Usagi asked herself, half wishing that it was. Gods, whatever this man was doing to her was driving her insane as he was provoking the sensations she never knew existed within her!

He lightly bit the thin skin of her collarbone then, making her gasp in surprise of pleasure and pain. Her hands flew onto the sides of his face, which she could not see clearly since the shadows covered him while she was the opposite, illuminated by the moonlight. Her hands traveled up towards his hair, where her fingers raked through his hair while his lips continued to tease her skin.

"Oh Gods..." she moaned out, unsure if the man above her had heard him. But then again, this her dream so why did it matter? It wasn't as if she was really going to remember this when she woke up anyways, so she might as well hoped for the best. Usagi wondered if she, in reality, was asleep in the bathtub at the moment as the whole process of getting out and getting changed into her yukata was a part of her dream...

His fingers began to play with the folds of her yukata then, causing her body to stiffen as she tensed underneath him. She swore her sudden stiffness caused him to release a low groan which vibrated against his throat. While his fingers began to untie the knot which contained her outfit, his lips began to descent even lower as they were getting closer to her breasts.

"I have missed you," the man mumbled against her collarbone as he gradually traveled lower. His fingers were now teasing with the robes of her yukata now, and Usagi wasn't sure if she had heard him correctly. Had she met him before? Possibly not, since she knew for a fact that she would remember a person like _him_. And what he was doing to her body at the moment.

When his large hand were close to her chest and she felt something hard pressed onto her legs, she couldn't help but to squeak very loudly. Her squeak had thrown him off as he paused his movements and Usagi wondered if this man was drunk. Was he realizing now that he had mistaken her with someone else? She really hoped that was the case since she would not enjoy the thought of being raped before she was dined by Endymion!

"You..." the man started as he lifted his face to her face as he started to study her features as he slowly got off of the girl. His navy blue eyes first looked confused before it changed into anger. "What is wrong with you? Have you lost your head?"

"_Me_?" Usagi couldn't help but to gasp. She pointed an accusing finger at him as she shrilled, "You're the one who suddenly kissed me right now! And I don't even know you!" despite the anger she felt boiling in her body, she couldn't ignore this heavy feeling that was thudding against her chest while her face was scorching hot.

"You... you are not Serenity," the man said slowly after he carefully studied her features for few silent minutes. He looked defeated then, and Usagi felt pity for him. It would be awkward to make out with a random stranger, thinking it was your lover. And for this man, he believed she was his lover for a brief period of time, this woman called Serenity.

Usagi shook her head. "No, I am not," she confirmed.

The man's face no longer looked weary. Instead, he gave her a sharp glare as his body positioned in order to attack her if she meant harm to him. "Who are you?" he demanded coldly, causing the girl to flinch.

"I..." her mouth ran dry, unaware of what to do while she was scared for her life from this man who had gone a sudden mood change. This man, Usagi observed, could very well kill her. She noticed a sword that was unsheathed attached to his hip but no, that was not the most threatening part. It was his eyes, which expressed that he had killed many in the past, and he would not hesitate to end her life if she did not chose her words wisely.

She then remembered Luna's words: _"And if you need anything, do not hesitate to call out my name - I will be summoned whenever you need me."_

And she never needed the woman as much as she did now. So instead of answering the man's question, she did what any other normal people who were scared out of their yukata would: she screamed in fright. But when she screamed, Luna's name escaped from her mouth.

"Luna!"

True to her word, the woman materialized out of nowhere and blinked. She saw Usagi who appeared as if she was ready to cry her eyes out while cowering away from the man who stood near the bed with a murderous intent in his eyes. She let out an exasperated sigh, drawing both of their attention.

"Endymion-sama, please refrain yourself from frightening your guest of honour," she addressed the man first, causing Usagi to gasp as she now realized the man beside her was the water deity. This was the man who was going to eat her! But then the woman turned to her and gave her a reassuring smile. "Usagi-san, meet your future husband. This is Endymion-sama, the ruler of the Terranian lands. The one who manipulates the element of water."

_Say what? _Usagi felt her mouth going dry as she was unsure that she had heard correctly. Did Luna just say Endymion is her future husband? As in, she was going to marry this guy? Clearly, this was not what she expected! She thought, this entire time, that this man was going to eat her alive! Desperately needing a confirmation that she had heard the other woman correctly, she croaked, "Did you just say that he's my future husband?"

Luna nodded wordlessly.

Not daring to look at the water God, Usagi could feel her head going lighter. The light dizzy spell she had when she was being kissed by Endymion was _nothing_ compared to the one she was feeling now. She was sure color had drained from her face from shock. The last thing she remembered was that her eyes rolled up to the ceiling as her body limped to the side as she rendered into an unconscious state of mind.

"Luna! What is wrong with her?"

"Usagi-san!"

* * *

AN: Just to make things clear: Usagi and Serenity are going to be different people in this story :)

And I guess 7,000 is really my limit x_x But I'll try to extend the chapters length in time after these introductory character chapters! But other than that, thanks for putting up with it :)

Thanks for reading and please review! :D Hope you guys enjoyed this chapter. Tell me what you think? :)


	3. Chapter III

AN: Thanks for enjoying the last chapter! And yes, by now, the **pairing of this story is determined **as well as the **rating has changed into M**. The reason for that is well, the straight-forwardness of the last chapter and the dark scenes that are to appear in the future chapters of this story.

I'm sure, in a way, Serenity's presence kind of confused people of how it was seen. But this chapter introduces more familiar faces and she will be mentioned a little bit more :) So after this chapter, the _real story_ will begin. Please bear with one more chapter! Thanks so much :)

**Anenihan:** Thanks for correcting out the mistake! I changed it now :)

**lee:** wow! Thanks for such a long and nice review :) I think that's the best one I've ever received! You're the best!

**sailorfan:** I guess, in a way, you could say there's a battle for Endymion's love between Usagi and Serenity. You'll see in this chapter ;)

**IsadoraKayStone:** There wouldn't really be any flashes on what's going on in the village, but it'll soon explain how they fared without Usagi's presence there. And yup, it'll be explained why there's always a sacrifice every seven years.

Summary: Many beautiful women were offered to the Water God in order to please him so he would allow rain to fall from the sky. But when it was Tsukino Usagi's turn to be sacrificed, she discovered things get quite complicated when she falls in love with another.

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_The Sacrifice_

Chapter III

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When Usagi gained consciousness, she could feel a pair of eyes boring on her face. There was someone waiting for her to open her eyes and wake up, someone who wanted to confront her about the way she handled the situation which had been given to her. The one where she was to wed the water God himself, Endymion. The exact same one her village feared of for hundreds of years as he must have countless numbers of human wives before her then, instead of consuming them as they all foolishly believed. So what would this make her? Wife number twenty something? The thought seemed to insult her for a bit since the belief in her village had taught her that a man should only have one wife, to whom he should be faithful to till the day he dies.

But then again, a human's life span was nothing compared to a God, was it not? So her village's beliefs cannot be placed onto him since his wives would have died before he would even gain a wrinkle on his face. And she had been told from various numbers of women in her village that men could not help themselves but to acquire another wife to replace its role after he had either disposed of his previous one, or if they had passed away: men could not stand loneliness and would crave for a woman's company. The same went for a very low number of women in her village, but once a woman has been married, their status changed. They were no longer viewed as 'obtainable' since a man had claimed her once, tainting her purity.

Usagi did not want to open her eyes just yet and face her reality. If she could, she wanted to escape from it for a bit longer. So that's what she did. She decided to ignore the fact that someone was waiting for her as she decided to be selfish and remained to keep her eyes closed for a little longer.

She reflected about her position now, since there was no way to avoid it. She is in _his_ realm, after all, where his word was probably the law. Although eighteen was the age where girls in her village would be eagerly willing to get married like her friend Naru, Usagi was always against it. She knew it was the age where one reaches adulthood, but she did not believe in early marriages. If she were to get married, she would have wanted to spend a year or two at the least with a man before she even considered marriage with him. She had seen people divorcing one another after they rushed into marriage; it was either they assumed they were in love with one another, or it was an arrangement made by their parents. And when they did split, it resulted into something really ugly.

When she was a little girl, she always wanted to grow up just like her neighbor. Sakurada Haruna was seventeen years older than her at the time, at the age of twenty-two and gave off the impression that she was happily married to her husband whom she had known for few months before they decided to make a commitment to each other for a lifetime. She was a very kind lady who would often visit her family and play with her. And sometimes, when she was in a good mood (which happened to be most of the times), she brought treats over to her house for her and Shingo to enjoy. But unknownst to her neighbor, Usagi would see her sobbing her heart out in misery in her room through her window a year after she married her husband after he returned to their home late at night, smelling of another woman.

It was only after five years before her husband had called off their marriage, claiming how Haruna was unfit to be a wife: she could not bear any children. A trait that was seen to be very undesirable in her village since everyone wanted to raise a family of their own, where the children would contribute to the household tasks and employment which would benefit the family's income.

So when Haruna was discarded, she was seen as some sort of filth that her husband no longer desired for. She brought shame to her family who disowned her, and Usagi saw how the poor woman suffered for several of months as she isolated herself from the village in a small hut which she could have barely even afforded then. She struggled by herself, with no one to lend her a helping hand. Awhile later, her body was found in a nearby river. Her body was in a bloody state as there were wounds all over vital points; she committed suicide in order to escape the prying eyes of her village.

While her husband, on the other hand, remarried with another villager and happily started a family of his own with his new wife.

Usagi, who was a little girl at the time, did not understand why her neighbor was seen so badly while her husband was treading on neutral grounds as if nothing had ever happened from his broken marriage. It was only years later that she realized the gender of a person would determine the way they are seen. Females were inferior to males, thus they deserved less rights than males.

_I wonder if the same applies to this realm,_ Usagi wondered. While she remained in this realm, would she be given the choice to turn down this marriage? Or if she was forced to go through with the marriage, could she call it off and just go home after awhile when things do not go well? It would all depend on how the people in Terra viewed this subject, and she hoped that if they do allow her to withdraw this marriage, they would be merciful on her.

She did not want to be punished by a God, after all. Nor did she wish the worst on her village; they were struggling so much already.

Her eyes fluttered open in fright at the thought that she did not even notice that she did so. It was Luna's voice which made her realized what she had done.

"Usagi-san! Thank goodness you are alright, we were concerned about you," Luna let out a sigh of relief. She quickly approached the blond and began to take her temperature by placing her hand against her forehead. "I assumed you caught an illness from your wet kimono yesterday, but it appears as if that was not the case. Rather, you fainted, Usagi-san."

Usagi nodded in reply. She looked around to discover that no were no other occupants in the room, much to her relief. A sheepish grin appeared on her face as she apologized to the navy haired woman, "Sorry about that, Luna. I was just... surprised from last night!" It is not every day when one would get assaulted from a handsome stranger before they threatened to end their life.

The other woman did not seem to notice the forced enthusiasm in her voice. "Oh, it is quite fine. It all came off as a big shock for you to digest, I suppose. It is not every day when one discovers that that they are to marry a God!" she let out a small laugh, trying to be conversational and keep the topic light.

"Oh, so it's true then?" Usagi questioned with a quiet voice as she fiddled with her fingers on her lap as a distraction and to hide her frustration from the other woman.

"Yes, yes. That is the reason why you came to Terra, is it not?"

The blond's head snapped up to meet the other woman's eyes then. Her eyebrows knitted in confusion as she was not sure whether she had heard her correctly. Did she believe that her village knew they were sacrificing a human girl every seven years to solely marry a God? Heavens no! They all believed that he needed to be fed a human in order to rejuvenate his powers so he would bestow them with rain. At least, that was what the fortune teller which came across their village hundreds of years had told them.

"No..." she mumbled, uncertain if the other woman had caught it. She was in too much of a shock at the moment to even be bothered. Surely there must be a mistake somewhere, or the fortune teller had been quite unreliable when it came to a part of the information he fed to the villagers.

It was Luna's turn to look confused. "Well then. For what purpose did you believe you are here for, Usagi-san?" she asked gently.

"I..." Usagi fumbled with her words. She was unsure of how she should put her words together; how could she tell Luna that she imagined she was going to be a God's dinner this whole time? She let out a sigh of resignation. Hell, she was never good with words and she knew it. So she decided to be bluntly honest with the other woman. "I thought Endymion-sama would eat me, Luna. At least, that's how my village viewed for the last hundreds of years."

Luna blinked several of times in silence. It only took several of seconds before the words had set in before she reacted. The woman released a loud laugh which seemed very un-ladylike from the impression she had given the blond. She continued to laugh for awhile longer as small amounts of tears began to form from the corner of her eyes.

Embarrassed, Usagi remained silent while her cheeks flamed up. She wanted to bury her face in her hands, but she did wish to emphasize the situation any further. She knew she would sound like a madcap if had she told them! But since she could not do anything, she waited until Luna could stop laughing so they could carry on their conversation.

"Endymion-sama... eat... humans?" Luna managed the words between the laughter with great difficulty.

Usagi barely nodded in reply. She felt like jumping off a bridge from embarrassment as Luna continued to laugh. _Gods, Usagi. She must think you're one big idiot... _

Slowly, the laughing began to cease and the room became quiet once more. Luna placed her hand on top of the blond's and gave it an apologetic squeeze. "I apologize for my behavior, Usagi-san. I just did not expect that from you - perhaps that was the reason why you appeared to be so petrified yesterday. I apologize if I had offended you with the way I have acted just now," she said.

She shook her head, but she kept her eyes down onto her hands. "No," she began. "I would laugh, too. Don't worry about it, Luna." Usagi forced to lift her head up to meet the eyes of the other woman and faked a smile to in order to break the tension.

Luna let out a small sigh. "Oh, that is a relief to hear then," she removed her hand and rose from her position beside the bed. She then gave the other girl a once-over before stating, "We should get you a change of clothes. You must be famished, Usagi-san. Food is waiting for you in the dining room."

Her stomach seemed to have an intelligence of its own since it grumbled noisily in reply as if it had heard Luna's words. Usagi blushed furiously before she nodded in response, which caused the other woman to giggle. She got off from the bed to where Luna placed her new clothing. There was a rose colored kimono with patterns of the cherry blossoms with a pair of tabi and a new pair of zori sandals.

"It seemed as if you required a new set of footwear, Usagi-san," commented Luna as she gestured to her broken pairs in the side of the room. "I did not dispose your previous ones, incase you were inclined to keep them. But I did obtain a new pair for you. I hope you do not mind."

Feeling touched, Usagi gave Luna a big smile. She sincerely appreciated what troubles the other woman went through to acquire herself a new pair of footwear for her. Perhaps she had just conjured up a pair out of thin air, or perhaps she found a spare pair in the palace. But whichever reason it was, she did not mind. She was delighted that Luna had gone out of her way to even notice that her old pair of zori's broke. It goes to show that this woman cared for her to some extent. Or at least pay attention to her needs.

"No, not at all. Thank you so much, Luna!" the blond exclaimed as she approached her new set of attire with a growing excitement. Once she grabbed them into her arms, she entered the bathroom to get changed.

Once inside, Usagi began to undress out of her yukata when she caught her reflection in the mirror. She let out a big audible gasp when her attention flew to a small hickey she discovered marked on the side of her neck, which the collar of her yukata had hidden when she was fully clothed.

_Did Luna notice this while we were talking? _Usagi asked in panic as her hands flew over to her neck, turning her body to try and get a better look of it. It was a size of a single grape, but it was tea rose in color. It was not as noticeable as she thought after her eyes had adjusted to it, but it was a bit of a contrast against the pale tone of her skin.

Apparently her gasp had been loud enough that Luna had heard her from the bedroom. She gently knocked on the door as she called from the other side. "Usagi-san, are you having difficulties with your kimono? Should I come in and assist you?"

Usagi noticed her voice was raised a pitch higher when she spoke. "No, it's fine! I'll be right out!" she blamed the change of her voice pitch on her anxiety. But it seemed to assure the other woman that she was fairly fine in the bathroom by herself.

"Alright then, I shall be waiting for you."

She let out a sigh of relief then. But it was quickly swallowed up when her eyes landed on the spot on her neck once more. Usagi debated whether she should let her hair down for once, which would certainly hide the hickey.

_But then my hair would get caught on things,_ a wary voice warned inside her head. She dismissed the consideration then when she remembered that she had to cut several inches of her hair when she was younger because it had been once caught on a thorn bush. She despised shortening the length of her hair, her long golden tresses was something she took pride in.

Usagi glanced at the kimono in her arms and prayed that its collars were tall enough to cover the mark on her neck. She slowly began to unfold it and inspected its length before a faint smile formed on her lips.

oOo

When Usagi emerged from the bathroom, just like she said, Luna was waiting for her by the door. She seemed to be pleased with how the attire looked on her since she smiled in approval and instructed her to turn around several of times for her so she could get a better look. Once completed, both women exited the bedroom and the blond followed whichever direction the other woman was leading her to the dining room for breakfast. While they walked and Luna did not look in her direction, she would raise the collar of her kimono in order to hide the mark on her skin.

They walked in silence and Usagi was uncertain of the reason why. She assumed it was because Luna was the type of person who keeps things to herself and would not bother to converse unless she is to aid another or is ordered to, in her case. But she hardly knew the woman at all. From her impression, she could say that Luna is a kind person who has been very considerate since she tries to help her as much as she could.

Or perhaps it is because she did not attempt to start a conversation herself.

Usagi looked down at the floor then, feeling a bit sullen. If that were the case, then she did not know what subject she should bring with the other woman. Surely she did not want to bring up the topic of Endymion, since she would not want to gossip or hear things about him which would make her uncomfortable before the next time she approached him. And she doubted that Luna would really want to hear about her village and its troubles; no one really likes it when one talks about their miserable lives to another.

Before she could even decide on a topic, Luna spoke first much to Usagi's relief.

"The Mizu kingdom comprise of a garden if you look to your right," Luna spoke as she gestured with her arm. There was a pond with rocks serving as a decoration. But the entire garden was surrounded by white colored cherry blossoms and with white lilies with a bridge above the small body of water. It was a breathtaking sight. "At the moment, since the Lunar Ball is quickly approaching, we only carry white colored plants as you can see. The color white symbolizes the Moon and its Goddess."

"It's beautiful," whispered Usagi as she took in the sight. She truly had never seen anything so beautiful, except for the decorations on the palace doors, of course. Unconsciously, her hand tugged at the collar of her kimono.

"Yes, Endymion-sama takes a large amount of pride in his garden," Luna began to talk about the origin of the garden. "Supposedly he, along with the Moon Goddess, built this garden themselves. Along with some elemental help, of course."

"What an admirable thing to do. Clearly, their hard work has paid off in the end - just look at this garden!" commented Usagi, still in awe of the sight in front of her. She then turned to face Luna and questioned, "Luna, would you mind telling me what kind of a person he is? Endymion-sama, I mean."

Luna shrugged her shoulders. She gave the younger girl a mysterious look before she started, "Endymion-sama is... a unique individual. He has many sides of himself. Some are hostile as where he could be putting on a face, and some are gentle because deep down, he is a very kind person. It is hard not to respect him, since his presence itself demands it. But, it is not only that. After you get to know him better, you would just have this feeling where you would just _want_ to serve him, to be in his presence because you would want to help him."

"Ah..."

Then the older woman let out a small sigh of despair. "You see, Usagi-san, Endymion-sama changed a great deal nearly four hundred years ago. He experienced a loss so great that it nearly destroyed him at the time. But slowly, he is rebuilding himself to be stable man he once was," she placed her hands on Usagi's arm and softly pleaded. "So please, do not see him in a negative light after last night. He was just not himself then."

Usagi mutely nodded, unaware of what she should say. She could not tell Luna how a part of her enjoyed the small interaction between her and Endymion, although she had not seen the earlier parts of their encounter. It was not her business and it would just be inappropriate, after all...

A conversation which was held near the bridge in the gardens caught Usagi's attention. There were two girls whispering to one another, and one of them with a blond colored hair shot a glance towards her direction. She wondered if they were talking about her then. Usagi then shook off the thought since she knew it was least likely; she has only been in Terra for one day and she had hardly explored its land and came across anyone.

"Ah, the Goddess of Fire and Love," Luna said as she noticed their presence as well.

The two Goddesses made their way and Luna took few steps to approach them before she gave each a respectful bow of their presence while Usagi stayed where she was, uncertain if she should bow as well or not given that she did not know them.

_But then again, they _are_ Goddesses,_ she reminded herself. But it was kind of too late to give a bow herself since Luna had just finished up, and it would be awkward if she decided to give a bow now. So she remained still where she was.

The blond-haired one seemed to be pleased of her and Luna's presence. She gave a quick smile to Luna before grabbing Usagi's hands in hers, flashing a grin. "Hi there! I am the Goddess of Love of the planet Venus, but you may call me Minako. It is a pleasure to meet you."

Usagi immediately took a liking to the other blond. She seemed to be very friendly and took an interest in getting know her. She returned the Goddess' smile as she gave her hands a squeeze. "The pleasure's all mine. I'm Tsukino Usagi."

"Ooh, let us be friends, Usagi-chan!" Minako suggested eagerly while the girl behind her rolled her eyes in annoyance. Usagi was not sure if the other blond noticed, but if she did, she made no indication that she did.

She nodded her head warily from the other girl's enthusiasm. "Okay, Minako... chan," the suffix which she added to her new friend's name seemed to please her greatly since Minako let out a squeal of delight.

Usagi turned to the other female, the one with long raven colored hair with violet colored eyes. She wore a red kimono with spirals for its design. When she caught her staring, the Goddess returned it with a glare. Usagi shrank her body away from her, wondering if it was hate at first sight.

"Luna, where were you and Usagi-chan heading to?" Minako asked the older woman, trying to strike up a small chat with the other lady as well.

"We were heading to the dining room, Venus-sama," replied Luna.

Usagi's stomach grumbled once more then, drawing undesired attention to her. She blushed and meekly apologized for her stomach's behavior. "Sorry,"

Minako and Luna just merely laughed it off while the raven haired Goddess did not say anything. She did not even crack a smile, for the matter. Instead, her face remained stoic as she avoided looking towards the blond's direction.

"Minako, we should get going now," the raven haired Goddess spoke, where her tone did not leave any room for disagreements. She sounded as if she wanted to take her leave as quick as possible. "I need your help with re-organizing my scrolls, remember?"

Minako rolled her eyes as she knew that her friend just wanted to get away from the other blond. "Oh, as you wish, Rei-chan," she gave Usagi an apologetic smile as she patted her hand. "But Usagi-chan, let us eat together sometime. If that is fine with you, of course."

"Okay," was Usagi's reply before the Goddesses gave a small curtsy for their departure before they disappeared in one of the hallway.

Once they were no longer in sight, Luna suggested, "Let us continue to the dining room, Usagi-chan," before she resumed walking, with the blond following behind her footsteps once more.

They walked for several of moments in comfortable silence until they reached a door which was decorated with giant yellow tulips. But unlike the other doors in the long hallways, this door was bigger in its size, making it appear more majestic compared to others. And this door had two soldiers stationed on each side of the twin doors.

One of the soldiers gave a nod before he opened the door for both women. He then moved to the side to allow them entry. Luna took her steps and disappeared into the room first, and Usagi could hear her voice from behind the doors, announcing their presence to the ones inside.

"Endymion-sama, I have brought Usagi-san to dine with you at your request," announced Luna. For some reason, Usagi could see the woman giving a small curtsy to the water deity out of respect she contained for him.

"Bring her in," was his mere command.

Luna came into her sight again with a smile graced upon her lips. She gestured to the dining room, her body language silently telling her that she should enter first. "Please come in, Usagi-san. Endymion-sama is waiting for you to dine with him."

Usagi timidly took small steps towards the door and when she first entered the room. She could see Endymion sitting in the centre of the table full of exotic foods where some she had never seen before. There was a man beside him who was dressed in white robes with long white hair. He looked friendly since he gave her a small smile when she entered the room. Respectfully, she bowed to the white haired man first.

What a big mistake she made.

Endymion seemed to be displeased since a frown was formed on his face from the sight in front of him. It is to be told that when someone addresses others, they should always address the higher ranked person first. And obviously, his rank was higher than the advisor which stood beside him. His advisor seemed to notice his displeasure since he stiffened visibly.

"Usagi-san, you are supposed to address Endymion-sama before you address Artemis-san," Luna advised the younger girl, causing her to squirm from her mistake. She turned to the water deity and bowed her head deeply as she apologized, "Please forgive her, Endymion-sama. It is my mistake for not informing her of the Terranian rules."

Endymion merely waved it off with a nonchalant wave of his hand. "It is fine, Luna," he spoke with no emotions detected in his voice. "She will learn in time," he then motioned the seat beside him to Usagi.

Usagi said nothing as she made her way to her seat. She pulled out the chair before she took the seat next to the water God, giving him a small nod of acknowledgement before the sight of food in front of her had her full attention. She did not seem to recall the awkward moment which occurred the night before because of the sight in front of her. Her stomach growled with hunger and her fingers were itching towards her chopsticks, but she willed herself from refraining to touch it. The man beside her had not touched his utensils at all, so it would be rude of her to do so before he did. It was his palace, and she was his guest for the time being.

Or his future wife, she could even say.

Peeling her eyes off the food with difficulty, she sneaked a glance at the God beside her. She was staring at where his hands were located, to be exact. Usagi hoped they would be on the table or close to his utensils at the least, which would imply that he would begin eating soon. But it appeared not to be the case since they were comfortably resting on his armrests.

Usagi let out a big sigh of longing and sadness towards the food.

She did not realize that Endymion's eyes were on her the entire time. He seemed to find her behavior to be amusing since his lips barely curled upwards.

Usagi had never been so grateful in her life until when the man beside her suggested, "Let us eat, shall we not? Luna, take a seat and enjoy the food that is shared among us." Luna nodded before walking over to take the seat next to Artemis.

When she picked up her chopsticks and metal spoon, she attacked the bowl of rice in front of her along with grilled various kinds of seafood, some she had never seen before. There was sashimi available as well, but she was not much of a fan of raw food. Usagi felt as if she could happily die at the moment she took her first bite, savoring the juicy flavor of cooked squid. She had not eaten since she was in her village, since time seemed to pass rather quickly for her yesterday.

While Usagi occupied herself with eating, she hardly noticed that the man beside her barely ate. Instead, his eyes seemed to be focused on her while the other two people in the room were lightly conversing about their daily lives.

"Oh, a serving girl just ran into me today while I was strolling among the palace…"

"Is that so? Was she a sight of beauty?"

"Artemis!"

Usagi stopped eating momentarily when thought she heard the man beside her speak. "You look so much like her..." since he did not say anything following that, she assumed had probably imagined the words being said in the first place.

_I must be really losing it,_ Usagi sighed mentally. She was no longer famished as her eating pace gradually slowed down. She glanced at the food beside hers and wanted to smack herself in the face. While she nearly finished her share of the food on the table, the man beside her hardly touched his! The most she could see he had eaten was a piece of sashimi, but that is all.

She assumed that since she was pretty much done with eating that Endymion would possibly be expecting her to start a conversation with him. He was a God, after all. So _she_ would be the one who should try to please him as she should try to get his attention. But one thing for sure, she did not wish to converse about the topic of that she is to wed him. She wanted to get far away from that topic as much as possible for the time being until the thought had settled well with her.

So she began with a light, universal subject. "Endymion-sama, what a nice weather we are having today, aren't we?" Usagi asked, inching her head towards the window where she would see bright rays of sunshine showering down on thelandofTerra.

"It truly is a bright day today," he merely commented, neither agreeing nor disagreeing with her. His head hardly inched towards the similar direction Usagi was gazing at.

"I would love to be outside," Usagi said as she remained to look happily out at the window, oblivious of the water deity beside her. She was too distracted from being amazed to see a bird of some sort with various bright colors that quickly flew by.

Endymion pursed his lips into a thin line of displeasure. "I would prefer to stay inside where it is cooler," he stated, causing the smile to disappear from the blond as she turned her face to face his.

_I must have said something stupid to upset him... _Usagi made a mental note to herself to not mention the topic of the weather to Endymion whenever she wanted to make a small talk ever again.

"About last night," Endymion began, and discomfort immediately washed all over the girl then. Usagi really, _really_ did not want to talk about what happened when they first encountered one another. Especially when other people were present in the room! This topic seemed to catch Luna's attention since she looked up from her conversation with Artemis and stared towards their direction, listening in. "I sincerely apologize for my actions. It was not my intention to frighten you."

She wanted to release a huge sigh of relief, she really did. But Usagi contained it in since she did want to be rude to a man who was apologizing for his actions. "It's alright, I forgive you," she replied with a smile, grateful that he did not bring the subject into great detail when he mentioned it. It would have been uncomfortable to discuss it.

"We should discuss about about your upcoming expectations where you are to be my wife-"

Usagi knew it was a risky move, but she could not help but to interject. "I apologize for interrupting you, Endymion-sama. But is this marriage thing really necessary?" she asked him with wide eyes, anticipating that he would say no, it is not necessary at all. He merely desires a wife to keep him company and if she did not wish to play the part, then she is allowed to go back to her village to her family and friends.

"Usagi-san..." Luna sighed.

Endymion's eyes darkened as he coldly said, "You are to never interrupt me again. I am afraid that you have no say in this matter; you are to be my wife, so you might as well adjust yourself to the role very soon."

Although he did not say it, but Usagi knew his words silently told her of her position; she was beneath him. She was to obey his every word as if they are passed as laws - there would be no room for objection. It was the same in Terra as it were the same in her village: women were seen inferior to men. But his words had stung her harder than she had expected. She did not mean to interrupt him; the words had just rolled off her mouth as if it had a mind of its own.

She just wanted to curl up into a ball and throw a fit. His words outraged her, but at the same time, it made her want to cry her eyes at the same time. But Usagi willed herself to do neither; she would not show her weakness in front of him.

Taking in the biggest breath she could, Usagi tried to calm herself down. She struggled to sound calm when she spoke, although she could not prevent her voice from sounding a bit shaky. "I'm sorry, but I think I need to head to my room. I suddenly don't feel so well," she managed to avoid eye contact with the water deity before she excused herself from the room.

As Usagi's distance from the dining room increased, she could hear an exasperated sigh and a new voice lightly scolding another person. "Endymion-sama, look at what you did! You managed to have your future wife flee on your first meal together," it was Artemis's voice.

Luna looked at the retreating figure of the blond before shifting back to face the water God. "Would you like me to retrieve her for you, Endymion-sama?" she asked him.

Endymion raked his fingers through his hair as he tried to maintain his stress before he shook his head in response. When he could no longer hear Usagi's footsteps, realization dawned on him then. He inaudibly mumbled with his lips barely moving, "I forgot to warn her not to go near the Old Palace. But surely Luna must have told her by now..."

oOo

She ran as fast as her two legs could carry her, to any direction which was available for her to choose from as she ran blindly. She did not care where she was running to, nor did she care that there was a possibility that she could get lost within the palace itself. Usagi would find her way back to the room she occupied last night. All she had to do was merely look for a door which was painted with red colored rose petals.

As she ran, she did not seem to realize that the buildings were starting to look older as if they had aged. Its features differed from the ones in the main palace, where everything appeared to be anew. Here, they did not even have water running along its pillars and its tiles appeared to have some faint cracks among them as they browned lightly in color in time. Some of the towers appeared to be destroyed.

Usagi wanted to be away from the water deity as far as possible. His words stroke painful blows to her chest, which had been aching painfully ever since.

_"... you have no say in this matter; you are to be my wife, so you might as well adjust yourself to the role very soon."_

When she started to have trouble breathing as she felt a pain jolting among her side, Usagi did not persist herself to keep running. Her steps gradually lessened in its distance and speed until she was no longer moving as she tried to catch her breath, inhaling deep and shallow breaths in and out of her lungs.

It was then when Usagi felt as if she was being watched. The thin strands of hair along her arm curled up as goose bumps formed along her upper arm as she felt like a prey. Her cerulean orbs frighteningly ran among the walls of the Mizu kingdom, but she could not find the presence that belonged to another. When she swiftly whirled her body around, she saw a pair of violet and a flash of silver before it disappeared. The sudden momentum caused her to lose the strength in her feet to maintain her balance, where it led Usagi to land butt-first on the floor.

"Ouch..." cried the blond as she rubbed her backside from the stinging pain.

There was a sound of a parchment being rolled up before it was snapped shut behind her. Behind the rows of pillars, a familiar face emerged and they did not look surprised or pleased to see her. The Goddess of Fire looked down at Usagi, muttering with a bitter tone laced in her voice, "You are nothing like her."

Usagi immediately questioned, "Who?"

"The Goddess of the Moon, Serenity," answered Rei, her tone indifferent. She scrunched her face as she observed the other girl from head-to-toe before shaking her head. "Other than the similar appearance you share with her, you are nothing like her."

A gasp escaped from the blond's lips as she took in the information. She looked like Serenity, the Moon Goddess? The exact same one where her future husband called out before he decided to kiss her the night before? She remained mute from the shock for several of moments, hoping that the Goddess of Fire would continue to speak.

But she did not comply to her silent wish since she was looking down at the scrolls down in her hands, each covered with light layer of dust from being neglected for so long. So Usagi then took the opportunity to question her.

"Is she... present?"

Rei's eyes flashed a sharp glare. "No," she answered flatly. "She has been dead for several of hundred years now. Three hundred and eighty-five years, to be exact."

"I'm sorry," Usagi whispered remorsely. She did not wish to impose sad memories of the person the Goddess of Fire knew by bringing up a deceased one.

"Do not apologize when you did not even know her!" snapped Rei as she turned to face her body away from the other girl. "Never apologize for things you are not acquainted with. Serenity's life did not involve you, human. So you should not go around apologizing for it."

Usagi did not anything. But the Goddess' words sparked something in her head as it brought her a piece of information that she received earlier in the afternoon during her walk with Luna. She mentioned that Endymion had a tragic loss nearly four hundred years ago. Coincidently, would the loss she mentioned possibly be Serenity?

_Was she his wife…?_ Usagi could not help but to wonder. She was curious, based on Rei's words, if her marrying to Endymion would be seen as a strange ordeal. According to the Goddess, she and Serenity could pass off as twins. And for him to marry someone who looked exactly just like his previous wife... she imagined it would be painful for him.

"She was his lover," Rei said abruptly. It seemed as if she could read the blond's mind and decided to answer her question. She merely elaborated a bit more on her current subject. "She was the only woman Endymion has ever loved, his first wife."

Usagi's hands grew cold as her assumptions were confirmed. She did not know why, but she slowly felt her limbs weakening and was grateful that she remained on the floor. At the moment, she wasn't sure if she her legs could support her if she were to stand.

She stared down at her own hands before her eyes trailed down to the rest of her body. She could hardly contain the shock spreading through her veins before she started to lose the feeling of her fingers that were resting on her kimono. Soon, Usagi could not feel the material of her clothing anymore; the feeling was wholly lost as her head was swarmed with overpowering emotions which seemed to appear out of nowhere.

Unconsciously, her hand rose to her chest where it felt as if it were being thwarted away.

_Why do I feel worthless? _She was unable to prevent herself from asking. Surely, she was not feeling like this because of the water deity. It was his insensitivity that drove her away from him earlier. But then why was she feeling like this? Why did she even care that someone who bore a similar face like hers had been his first wife? Usagi was certain that did not want this marriage, and she certainly did not want Endymion as her future husband. If that were to be the case, she wondered why she was even having these thoughts in the first place. Perhaps it was because her role for being here, compared to his previous wives, was that she's to replace his first wife.

Rei did not take notice of the absence of Usagi's attention on her as she started to take steps away from her, the sound of her footwear made clacking sounds which gradually lessened as her figure grew smaller as she disappeared into the shadows leaving the blond to be troubled with her own thoughts.

* * *

AN: YES. Finally finished this chapter! And I shall start working on the next one shortly! Hope you enjoyed this chapter, and I hope it kind of made things sense. But don't worry if it didn't, everything will unravel itself very soon. Also, the short, awkward conversation between Usagi and Endymion was intentional since... yeah. It was just needed.

And the next update might take awhile since school's going to start again :( Sorry!

Thanks again for reading and please review! (Oh, and anyone got some good story recommendations in this category? I've been itching to read some good ones! Sending in a title and the author would be appreciated very much, thank you!)


	4. Chapter IV

AN: Oh goodness, I've reached the 50 review mark with three chapters! :) This made me swell with happiness that words couldn't describe; this story received more reviews than I anticipated for. So I was surprised but giddying with joy at the same time. Thanks a lot for reading everybody, and thanks to the awesome people who took their time to review this story to encourage me to update frequently. And extra thanks to the people who point out my careless mistakes here and there - it really gives me the opportunity to overlook and help me grow as a writer!

I hope to keep writing to unleash my creativity and keep this story to be entertaining to those who read it :) Thanks a lot, everybody!

And one more thing: no offense to people who stick to the names of characters in the Japanese like _hardcore_, but for one character - you'll see - I can't stand their Japanese name :S I guess it's personally because I haven't watched the subbed version of this anime during that season as I watched it in American dub, but oh Gods. When I discovered it, I was like, ... really? :I anyways, sorry!

**Pamela**: Sorry about that. But for this story, Serenity and Usagi will be two different people; it kind of makes sense, since Usagi _is_ the reincarnation in the anime, leading a different life from Serenity. But for this story, Mamoru's just... not there since he didn't die. That's all :S

**Ice-princess:** Thanks for spotting out the mistake! I really appreciate it :D I fixed it, I think. So hopefully it'll flow smoother now.

**lee:** Thanks for another long, amazing review! I really do look forward to reading them hehe. I'm glad you enjoy reading my story so far, it means a lot :) And for the love romance part, it'll be sort of hard for Mamoru to express his feelings for her first since this is more of a Usagi-centric story. But I guess his actions could speak up for him :) Hope you enjoy this chapter as well.

**Tropicalremix:** Mmm, that'll be explained soon :) and for the latter part, there's so many ways people can view that topic depending on their religious beliefs. So I can't really answer that question - sorry!

**Jenbunny:** Don't worry about it! I wasn't really directing that comment to anyone in particular :P it's just something I've noticed in this category of anime in this site, that's all :P but thanks for choosing out the vote - you're the only one who actually voted, so _Heartstrings_ will be released first LOL.

Summary: Many beautiful women were offered to the Water God in order to please him so he would allow rain to fall from the sky. But when it was Tsukino Usagi's turn to be sacrificed, she discovered things get quite complicated when she falls in love with another.

* * *

_The Sacrifice _

Chapter IV

* * *

Usagi tried to comprehend the feelings which were exploding inside her body, thundering hard against her chest while aimlessly wandering down the path she was walking before she had ran into Rei, the Goddess of Fire. The feelings felt heavy yet ugly at the same time; somehow, she felt cheap. She could not exactly describe this feeling. She never felt like this before: she wanted to hurl an object to relieve her of the stress and she wanted to leave Terra right this instant.

After her brief conversation with the Goddess of Fire, she_ definitely_ could not proceed with the marriage any further now. When she was first approached with the idea that he might have married plenty of other girls before her, she felt insulted for the belief she was taught back in her village. Secondly, when Endymion treated her harshly as their communication was insufficient, she felt like dirt. But now, after discovering that she shared the same face with his first wife, she felt as if her purpose in his kingdom was to give the Water God the false impressions that his wife indeed had not passed away as she took her place.

She closed her eyes as her walking stilled. Usagi then realized why Endymion reacted the way he did when he had first laid his eyes on her; she must have appeared as if _she_ had returned from the dead. He acted desperately then as he expressed his love briefly for Serenity while he was really with her: he wanted to assure himself that _she_ was real instead of some three dimensional hologram illuminated from the moonlight.

Her hand came up to the curve of her face, pressing softly against her pale cheek. Then her finger slowly traced down along her face until her index was at the centre of her chin. Usagi couldn't help but to bitterly question, _Was he seeing Serenity's face through mine this entire time? Did he... ever see me as _me_?_

Instantly, her hand dropped and both of them clenched into shaking fists at her sides. _Of course he did_, she answered herself. If he didn't, then why else would he treat her so harshly the day after their memorable first encounter? He realized that she wasn't Serenity, because otherwise, he would have treated her with endless amount of love and concern.

But she _wasn't_ Serenity - instead, she's Tsukino Usagi, a powerless human compared to Endymion himself. Or the woman who walked among on Terra bearing the same face as the Moon Goddess Serenity.

Usagi inhaled sharply as realization struck her. She was jealous over a deceased Goddess! She wanted to laugh of how fanatical that sounded, but she could not bring herself to. Just as the Fire Goddess mentioned, she did not know of Serenity so she immediately regretted of thinking of her so much just now. She slapped her cheeks lightly in order to distract herself from those thoughts, replacing it with the burning sensation on both sides of her cheeks.

_Why do I care so much of how Endymion views me? _She pondered silently.

Was it because she was to wed him unless she managed to return to her village? She knew for a fact that running away was not an option, especially not in a foreign realm. She did not know of her way around Terra, nor did she wish to face any sort of punishment from a God either.

He was her husband-to-be, she told herself over and over again. It's only natural to have _these_ sorts of feelings. And it was only natural that he had wedded many times with other human females before her - she only lived for a bit over eighteen years now. Her days among the living must be insignificant compared to how many hundreds of years Endymion had been living for. Still, these thoughts did not deter her away from wanting to escape from their marriage.

_I want to leave now. I want to go home, I don't belong here…_ She wanted her wish to be granted if she had spoken them out loud. She began to picture the familiar faces that are in the other realm; her parents, Shingo, Naru...

"My, my, it truly is pleasant to see another other than myself among the Old Palace." A voice snapped Usagi from her longing thoughts as she turned her head sharply to where the voice came from. She came face-to-face with a man all dressed in white sans the dark navy cape. His short silver hair shone brightly against the sun's rays, a contrast to his dark violet eyes. He seemed pleased to make his acquaintance as he stared intently at her. But somehow, he seemed familiar as if she had seen him before...

Usagi politely made an effort to smile, which resulted into a crooked one. "Oh, so that's what this place is called." She murmured, contributing to the conversation.

The man in white nodded. "Yes," he confirmed. "This part of the palace among the Mizu kingdom is called the Old Palace. As you can see, it is very unpopular as it receives a scarce amount of visitors. As well as it is not open to just anyone..."

The blond observed her surroundings to find that he was indeed correct; there was no one else in sight other than the two of them. But there were plenty of scrolls and technologies she had never laid her eyes on. There were posters filled with ancient writings on the sides of the building along with some ofudas.

"Oops... I'm sorry! I don't know my way around very well, you see..." Usagi apologized guiltily. Her eyes wandered a bit further to a left side behind the man and her attention was caught when she saw something glittering against the sunlight - it was a trail of thin ice. The man seemed to notice what she had just discovered since his lips curled up into a small smirk.

"Ah, so you have noticed the ice," his voice sounded proud before he gestured a hand to himself, bringing in the attention. "I am Diamond, the one who manipulates the ice."

Usagi innocently asked, "You're a God just like Endymion-sama?"

Her question seemed to displease the ice deity since his face tensed for a mere second before he recomposed himself. He gave her a small smile when he answered, "Yes, I am a God. May I ask for your name, dear fair maiden?"

"It's Tsukino Usagi, Diamond-sama," she replied as she added the suffix behind his name as a way of respect for a God as she did so with the water deity. She shuffled her feet beneath her kimono, feeling uncomfortable under the intense gaze the man was staring at her with, staring at her as if she somewhat was an old artifact that was found to be extinct. He had been staring at her like that since he had announced his presence.

"Ah, you are one, who is to wed Endymion, are you not?" Diamond asked her. Usagi noticed the way he was observing her carefully and as a member of the palace whose rank was high as a God himself, she decided to select her words carefully.

"Yes, I am."

"How do you feel about that?" he pressed on more into the current issue. "Does the thought of obtaining a God as a husband excite you?"

"I... well, I certainly never thought I would ever get to experience this in my life," Usagi answered honestly as she nervously fumbled with her fingers. She wondered if it was obvious for him to notice that she was uncomfortable with this topic, and if he did, then he would not continue any further with it.

But unfortunately, the God of Ice does not seem to notice her level of discomfort since he continued to ask her questions.

"I see. Then how do you feel about your situation? Are you elated, miserable, or neutral?" Suddenly, he closed in the distance between them in a flash. A pair of dark violet orbs stared down at her, studying every inch of her face as he slowly placed one of his hands on shoulder. Slowly, that hand started to trail down to where her arm was at.

"I-I'm not sure. One thing for s-sure is that it is s-something that'll take t-time getting used to," Usagi stammered, tearing her eyes from his stare. She felt uncomfortable from the small proximity of distance between them, but she did not want to rudely push the God in front of her away and offend him. Because who knows, he might turn her into an ice sculpture. Instead, she decided to subtly give him hints that she valued her personal space.

"Diamond-sama, I think my presence is distracting you from the task you were consumed in before I arrived," she apologized lightly, lightly implying that she wished to take her leave. She turned her head to meet the eyes of the ice deity once more, treading her words carefully. "Perhaps I should leave now. I believe Luna might be searching for me."

Diamond nodded his head in agreement, but he remained in their current position. Rather, his hand traveled lower until he held her hand in his palm, playing with it with his fingers. Usagi fidgeted uncomfortably at the intimate contact.

"So soft..." he breathed out of no where.

The blond chose to ignore what she had just heard, although she was sure that her blush was prominent from the sudden compliment. "I think I should go now, Diamond-sama..."

"You are more than welcomed to prolong your stay here," hinted the ice deity with a small grin.

Usagi managed a small smile with great difficulty. "No, but perhaps I will next time when I come for a visit," she suggested conversely, and her response seemed to please the God as his grin widened as he took a step backwards in order for her to give her space.

"I shall hold to those words."

She honestly wanted to tell him not to hold onto her half-hearted words; the thought of visiting this man frightened her a bit. Usagi believed the distance between them was too intimate when they talked and she wondered if he treated his other guests the same way. Involuntarily, she shivered as she pictured Diamond nearly pressing up against someone like... someone like Endymion; she hardly doubted he would allow the God of Ice to close in the distance between them, while remaining to be stoic at the same time as he usually was.

Would he be infuriated if he would happen to come across her and Diamond in their intimate stance? She was to be the one who was sentenced to spend the rest of her life with him as his wife-to-be. _But then again_, Usagi reminded herself, _we hardly know each other and I hardly doubt that there can be any sort of love between us._

Usagi hardly managed to swallow her saliva as a troubling thought entered her mind.

_Will I ever be happy?_

The existence of the other God seemed to fade from her mind now, while his voice echoed repeatedly in her head; the voice was asking her how she felt in her situation.

Happiness was clearly out of the question. Ever since she had arrived in Terra, the only company she truly seeked belonged to the lady who was attentive to her needs: Luna. But other than that, Seiya and Minako made wonderful first impressions on her which caused her to long to see them again.

Sadness was a bit _too_ extreme to use to describe her puzzling situation. She had been rummaging around for freedom for a very long time in her village back with her family and friends, but Usagi did not expect for _this _to ever happen in her life. She truly missed her family which contributed to her low level of emotions, but it was Endymion who dominated over it. His first encounter pained her, but his words stabbed into her wounds even more.

Just how could she marry someone when she resembled his previous wife? The only woman he had ever loved, as Rei mentioned.

Truly, he could never love _her_. At least, that is what she believed.

An unexpected rub of Diamond's thumb against her palm jerked her away from her thoughts. Her head snapped up as her eyes widened. Usagi hastily retracted her hand back to her side, pretending not to see the displeasure run across the man's features.

"I-"

"Oi, Odango!" Seiya's sudden voice drew the two people's attention. He was jogging towards them from a small group of people who appeared to be taking a nice casual stroll among the palace.

Usagi beamed. She was grateful for his appearance as the Kinmokusei guardian had broken the tension between her and the ice deity. "Seiya-kun," she said, pushing down the urge to scold him for calling her by his nickname for her.

Seiya turned his attention from the blond to give a small nod of his head to acknowledge the presence of the Ice God, as Diamond mimicked his actions.

"I hope I did not disturb your _pleasant_ conversation, Diamond-sama," Seiya said curtly, despite the suffix in which he added.

Diamond's lips thinned as he did not offer a response for the younger man.

Seiya turned to Usagi and gave her a playful wink. "Let's get out of here, Odango. I'll be the dashing guardian like I usually am and take you somewhere exciting." He offered, and he did not wait for Usagi to reply as he took one of her hands in his larger one before he gently began to tow her after him, her faint blush going unnoticed. He merely gave the man left behind a wave without turning his head, signaling that he was leaving with his guest.

"Seiya-kun - wait! I should at least say bye to Diamond-sama," Usagi mentioned, craning her head towards the direction they were departing from. She earned herself a soft sigh from the Kinmokusei guardian.

He continued to walk while assuring her to remain calm at the same time. "Do not worry over small matters, Odango. Really, it _is _nothing."

Usagi bit her lips as she mumbled back, "I sure hope you're right, Seiya-kun..."

Seiya's lips curled upwards. "Just trust me on this, Odango - you really do have nothing to worry about," he assured her once more, and soon, he observed how she discontinued to chew on her lips out of her nervous habit and a small smile found its way on her face.

"Thank you, Seiya-kun."

"You're welcome, Odango." Usagi frowned a little bit then from the nickname, her good mood spoilt. But Seiya merely chuckled as he continued to lead her towards a small group of people.

Usagi's smile grew wider as she took a quick peek at the man beside her, who was taking the lead. _It seems as if my prayers were answered; I got to see Seiya again…_

There were two males who dressed similarly to the Kinmokusei guardian who was standing beside a woman all dressed in red, so Usagi assumed they held a similar ranking as Seiya. One of them looked younger than the other, as his height was much shorter. He had long silver hair tied in a low tail with his bangs covering his forehead and the man appeared to be irritated while the guardian beside him was the complete opposite.

The man with sepia-colored hair appeared to be calm with his eyes closed. He was a very tall man whose face was not obstructed by any strands of hair and he sat beside a woman dressed all in red on a bench, who flickered her gaze up towards her direction, to her Kinmokusei guardian.

"Kakyuu-hime," Seiya released his hold on the blonds' hand as he knelt down in one knee, bowing deeply. "I apologize for my short absence from your side."

The princess in red waved her hand nonchalantly. She shifted her gaze from Seiya to Usagi, before they returned back to Seiya. "It is alright, Fighter. I understand your reasons for your abrupt absence. But perhaps you should announce that you are to leave before you do, so others as well as I will not be troubled by the rash decisions you choose to make."

"I understand, Kakyuu-hime. Please forgive me." Seiya apologized, offering another bow to his princess.

"I accept your apology, Fighter," Kakyuu said softly. "Now, please stand. I would be honored to meet the young lady you have brought from your short absence."

"Yeah, Fighter," the silver haired man agreed, although his tone gave off an impression that he was disinterested. He inched his head towards Usagi's direction. "Do introduce us to her if you will."

Seiya smiled as he arose from the floor and walked over to Usagi until he was right behind her, but he didn't give her the opportunity to turn around to face him when he placed his hands on her shoulders to halt her movements. He gave her a comforting squeeze when he introduced her. "This is Tsukino Usagi, but I enjoy calling her Odango as it suits her much better."

Usagi blushed in embarrassment. She turned around to smack her small fist against the Kinmokusei guardian's abdominal muscles which hardly brought him pain. "_Seiya-kun_!"

The guardian offered her a shrug. "What? I only spoke the truth, Odango." he playfully teased.

A wolf whistle could be heard behind the two of them. Usagi turned her body around to find the silver haired guardian smirking at the sight of them. "_Odango_? _Seiya-kun_?" he repeated teasingly. "I take it that the two of you are pretty familiar with one another, ne?"

The other guardian nodded in agreement. "Fighter, have you been hiding her presence whenever we make our visit of the Mizu kingdom?" he asked slyly as he implied a meaning behind his words.

Seiya laughed while the two females remained silent. When his laughter ceased, he gave his friends a reassuring smirk. "Do not worry, Healer and Maker; I did not keep her presence hidden from any of you, including you, Kakyuu-hime," he answered. "This truly is my second time having my path coming across Odango."

"Tsukino-san," the Kinmokusei princess addressed the human girl. "Are you a member of the palace?"

"N-no, I'm not." Usagi answered shyly.

"Oh?" One of the tallest Kinmokusei guardian's eyebrows rose as her reply caught his attention. "Then are you from another planet as we are, Tsukino-san?"

Usagi shook her head. "No, I'm just a guest in the palace for the time being."

"She is Endymion-sama's guest, according to Luna." corrected Seiya.

"Ah, so that is how it is," Kakyuu said, clasping her hands together as if she had gained an epiphany. She smiled at Usagi before giving her a small curtsy, to which her Kinmokusei guardians quickly mimicked her actions. "Then, Tsukino-san, as Endymion-sama's guest, I hope you shall welcome our visit as well as he does so every year for the celebration of the Lunar Ball."

The Kinmokusei princess' sudden formality surprised the blond. She blinked several times before she quickly waved her hands in front of her body, motioning for the four people to stand back up. "I'm really not worth bowing to, Kakyuu-hime! Really."

"Nonsense," the Kinmokusei princess chided softly. Three heads rose as they followed the female, who was taking the lead. Kakyuu slightly turned her head to the sepia hair colored guardian. "Maker, are we due for any appointments this afternoon?"

"Yes, Kakyuu-hime," Taiki answered promptly. "You are to meet and greet other guests of the Mizu kingdom at a luncheon which is to take place near the garden with the presence of Endymion-sama."

"Ah, thank you for the reminder," thanked Kakyuu, smiling.

Taiki returned her smile. "It is my pleasure to assist you in any way possible, Kakyuu-hime."

Yaten looked over to Seiya and Usagi with an unreadable expression on his face. He nonchalantly asked his fellow guardian and friend, "Will you be making your presence during the luncheon for Kakyuu-hime, Fighter?"

Seiya looked at Usagi, who looked confused to the reason why he was staring at her when it was Yaten who had addressed him. He gave her a small grin before he responded, "Yes Healer, I will be present,"

"Oh good, I-"

"I shall make my presence after I walk Odango back to her room," Seiya finished. He chose to ignore how the shorter man rolled his eyes upwards as he let out an exasperated sigh.

Usagi felt her cheeks growing hot from the attention. She glanced at Yaten's slight sour mood, feeling slightly guilty before she made eye contact with Seiya. "It's alright, Seiya-kun. You don't have to walk me back to my room - I don't want to be a burden."

The Kinmokusei guardian let out a small chuckle. "You really are too kind, Odango. But declining my offer would be disgracing me to a large extent, especially in front of the presence of my princess," he teased.

"I..." Usagi shifted her gaze to Kakyuu, silently asking her if this really was alright. She did not wish to impose any trouble by taking up one of her guardian's time, after all. Kakyuu merely smiled and gave her a small nod, encouraging her to allow Seiya to accompany her back to her room. Usagi then smiled up at Seiya's boyish face and said, "Alright, I'll accept your kind offer. Thank you, Seiya-kun."

Seiya nodded before he started to subtly steer her away from the group. He quickly gave his head a small bow towards Kakyuu's direction and waved to the other Kinmokusei guardians. "I will be taking Odango to her room now and I will meet you at the luncheon afterwards. Tardiness will not be accompanied with my arrival, Kakyuu-hime - I promise you that."

Kakyuu giggled. "I shall see you at the luncheon then, Fighter," she looked down at the blond and added, "It truly was a pleasure meeting you, Tsukino-san. May our paths cross once more before we depart for Kinmoku."

"Yes! Hopefully we'll be able to meet at the Lunar Ball, Kakyuu-hime," Usagi replied earnestly. She really did hope to encounter the kind Kinmokusei princess once more. Her presence made her feel calm and pleasant; she had already took a liking to the other woman.

Kakyuu gave a small curtsy with Taiki and Yaten following suit before they turned and departed, disappearing from their sight. Usagi's eyes continued to trail after them even when they were no longer in sight, and it was Seiya's light squeeze on her arm that brought her back to reality. She blinked several of times before she met Seiya's grinning face.

"Oi, Odango. You appeared as if you were spacing out on me," commented Seiya as he playfully poked her cheek. He earned himself a small slap on his hand which resulted into laughter and the retraction of his index finger.

"Sorry, I didn't mean to..."

"Ha! You really are going to run into a wall or something like that, Odango," he laughed well heartedly. "Fortunately, I am here to assist you for today."

Usagi pouted. "Oh, that's mean, Seiya-kun!"

A small smile was Seiya's response before they walked through multiple hallways in a comfortable silence. She opted of taking a small glance at the man walking beside her, and when she did, she discovered that Seiya's face suddenly no longer contained any traces of playfulness as it did before when he returned her stare. Gradually, his walking pace slowed until he stopped completely. Usagi paused her walking as well, giving him a curious stare.

"What's the matter, Seiya-kun?" she asked him.

Seiya hummed as he loudly expressed the words running in his mind. "I was having thoughts of Diamond-sama. The atmosphere that was around the two of you seemed to be quite... strange, before I made my presence earlier on this afternoon."

Usagi looked away, and when she spoke, her voice sounded far distant. "Oh... why?"

"I am not certain, Odango," the Kinmokusei guardian rubbed his chin as he pondered loudly on his thoughts. "I was going to bring it up with you earlier, but I did not wish for him to overhear us. But the feeling settled uneasily in me - it felt as if there was something _ominous_ going on at the moment."

Usagi blinked. "Me, ominous? That doesn't make sense, Seiya-kun!" she laughed out loud as her words sounded silly to her own ears.

Seiya shook his head. "Not you, Odango - _him._"

"Ah..." Usagi's voice trailed off as shivered involuntarily when the face which belonged to the God of Ice flashed in her head. She understood what Seiya meant then. The man frightened her out and she hoped that she would not run into him again. She made a mental note to avoid the Old Palace whenever she was to randomly trot among the palace when she was lost in her endless trail of thoughts.

"What happened before I arrived?" Seiya asked, looking concerned. He gently placed his hand on her arm and gave her an encouraging yet comforting squeeze to respond back when Usagi diverted her eyes from his to avoid his gaze.

"Nothing," she answered quickly as she pretended not to see the man's doubtful expression. There was a small awkward moment between them, and Usagi hoped Seiya would not repeat his question. She was a bad liar. She knew she was, and everyone could _just tell_ whenever she fibbed. Fortunately, Seiya did not press on the question as he respected her decision of lying to him. Instead, he said comforting words which made her feel happily appreciated.

"... I will be there to listen when you are willing to tell me, Odango."

Usagi let out a small sigh of relief. "Thank you, Seiya-kun. Your words really do mean a lot to me," She gave him the biggest smile she could muster, which he returned.

The walls of the hallway were starting to look familiar now, as she could recognize certain flowers painted on the magnificent doors. Usagi looked up at Seiya's face and said, "Thank you for walking me this far, Seiya-kun, but I think I can manage my own from this point on; I don't want you to be late for the luncheon with Kakyuu-hime."

"Are you certain? I do not mind walking you back to your room, Odango." offered Seiya.

Usagi nodded. "Yes, I'm certain," she added, "Thanks for being a gentleman, Seiya-kun."

Seiya winked and replied back with, "Aren't I always?"

Laughter escaped from the blond as the man before her never failed to amuse her. Usagi was grateful that she had encountered Seiya from her first day on Terra, thankful that she now had one person to turn to whenever she was feeling down.

"Odango, you should laugh more often," Seiya said randomly, giving her a smile - not a flirtatious one, but a genuine one. "You appear to be glowing when you do."

Blushing, Usagi did not reply nor thank him for the compliment. She soon felt one of her twin hair buns being patted by Seiya before he broke off into a slow jog, heading towards the direction from which they came from.

"See you later, Odango!" Seiya called out before he disappeared in a flash of blue light, nowhere to be seen when the light died away.

"Bye, Seiya-kun..." Usagi whispered after him although he would not be able to hear her. She merely wanted to bid him good bye, just like he had.

oOo

She located her room shortly after Seiya had left to attend the luncheon as his role of a Kinmokusei guardian, sworn to protect his princess, Kakyuu. The first thing Usagi did when she entered her room was to rush for the bed, jumping on it as she was welcomed with a soft hug from her pillows and her covers. Although she should be in a good mood from Seiya's company, she wasn't. This room, in general, reminded her of Endymion, which resulted into her of having a quick recap of the unpleasant moments of her day. The stiff atmosphere between her and Endymion, and unexpectedly encountering Rei and Diamond...

Usagi released a loud groan. "Today felt so surreal... It feels as if it shouldn't have happened," she whispered before wondering if all her other days that were to come on this realm was going to be identical to the one she had just had.

_I will adjust to this,_ she told herself. She _had _to, as she had no other choice.

Unconsciously, she began to rub her ring finger and wondered if she were to receive a ring from Endymion. Would he get Luna or one of the servant girls to fetch a meaningless ring for him before he presented it to her? Or would he give her a ring which means a significant amount of deal to him? Usagi hoped for the latter, as she would want her first and only marriage to be meaningful. But she quickly scolded herself for thinking of such things; instead of the ring, she should be thinking more of their current relationship as that should come first.

She wanted to get to know him better, to discover his true self that is hiding beneath the layers of defense he had placed upon himself. Luna described him to be kind hearted, and Usagi had no reasons to doubt the woman. And she knew that he was capable to love and could freely express it, as he loved another even if it was several of hundreds years ago. One can never truly be rid of their emotions, even if it called love.

"What should I do..?" Usagi asked aloud to herself as she was the only occupant in the room.

_Why do I care so much? _was the better question. She wasn't sure why her emotions would stir whenever her thoughts returned to Endymion. She wondered if she was having some feelings for him, but then dismissed the thought as she believed that it was hardly the case since she hardly knew the God. Then she wondered if she felt some attachment towards him after their short, intimate moment from the night before.

"It might be..." Usagi answered to herself. "Or maybe..."

_Or maybe it is because of the fact that I am to marry him,_ Usagi considered the possibility. Perhaps she was being overly emotional because in a way, she felt threatened of possessing a husband. Her husband-to-be, after all, had married plenty of other women before her.

And his first wife shared a similar face to hers, as well. Usagi believed that some God was out there to conspire against her, presenting her with the features she bore on her face that are alike to the Goddess of the Moon, Serenity.

Usagi shook off the thought. She was not going to have thoughts about Endymion's first wife anymore, as she did not want to be constantly depressed afterwards. Instead, she was going to try hard to be happy in Terra. She will not live her life wallowing in misery over a deceased Goddess and contemplating her feelings over the Water God.

"I'm not going to let him get to me," Usagi said, sounding determined as she walked up to her closet. She opened it for the first time to discover many arrangements of colorful kimonos, pairs of zori's, and many hair accessories and jewelries. A gasp escaped as she marveled at the valuable contents, wondering if she was granted permission to use any of them.

"Everything in this room belongs to you, Usagi-san. You are to freely use them of your purpose. "

Luna's sudden voice startled her as she jumped before she turned around to face the other woman. Usagi released a nervous laugh before she started a simple conversation. "Luna! You scared me. How long have you been here?"

Luna answered, smiling. "I just arrived, Usagi-san. I apologize if I did not announce my presence. You seemed to be admiring your garments so intently that I did not wish to disturb the moment."

"I see..."

There was a brief moment of silence before the older woman spoke. "Usagi-san, are you alright? I hope you were not deeply offended from Endymion-sama's behavior this morning." Luna looked concerned for the blond as she spoke kindly of the water deity.

Usagi replied, "I'm fine now, Luna. Thank you for taking out some of your time to come check up on me," A smile formed on her face, assuring the other woman that she truly was fine as she said she was.

Luna seemed content with her answer as a small smile made its way onto her face. "I am glad, then. Thank you, Usagi-san, for your kindness to be able to forgive him."

The blond merely shrugged before inching her head towards her closet. "Forgiving Endymion-sama for his behavior can't compare to the kindness you've shown me, Luna. It's really nice of you to let me use these kimonos," she said.

The older woman shook her head. "No, it was not I, Usagi-san. Endymion-sama requested for me to stock up these kimonos for your stay while you were sleeping the night before," she explained. "He insisted that you are to be comfortable while you remained in Terra."

Usagi's lips parted a little in surprise. She was surprised to discover that Endymion has been thoughtful of her needs while he hardly expressed it. Looking back at the closet now, she admired each and one of her new kimonos as she lived believing she would never wear such extravagant clothing. She would thank him properly, she decided. She wanted to do something to make him happy; it would be her way of showing her appreciation of his kindness.

"Oh, I see."

Luna slowly curved her body towards the door, indicating that she was to leave. She placed her hand on the handle before slightly looking back at the blond. "I sincerely wish you shall enjoy these garments, Usagi-san - Endymion-sama would wish for you to do so, as do I," she added. "Now, if you will excuse me, I shall take my departure as I am expected to escort some of the guests from the luncheon to various rooms they wish to visit among the palace."

The blond nodded her head and watched Luna leave her alone in the room once more, but this time, she was content. She was no longer depressed or lonely, as Luna's company made a difference to her mood. Usagi gave her new closet a glance and released a sigh, speaking out her wistful thoughts.

"I wish you were here to enjoy these pretty kimonos with me, Naru-chan..."

Usagi wondered how her best friend was faring off. Did her marriage ceremony take place in the village already? She was sure it should have by now, as there was no apparent reason to delay it. Naru was happily in love with her lover and the majority of the adults in the village approved of Umino as he was highly intelligent and full of polite etiquette, wanting him to marry their daughters. But he fell for her best friend, as it was practically love at first sight; Naru explained how he once told her that she was the prettiest woman who has ever walked on Earth, and how her personality drew him in.

Naru found his words to be romantic, while Usagi stated they were too 'lovey dovey.' But as she was happy for her friend, envy tagged along right behind her. She wanted a man who would show his loyalty and love to her, as he would accept her klutzy ways which Naru mentioned would be a huge point.

But she had yet to find such a person.

Soon, her thoughts strayed over to a certain dark-hared Kinmokusei guardian – Seiya. He was certainly charming yet he was filled with jokes, as he would try to make her smile often during their two encounters. Usagi felt as if he had become a close friend to her already since he had already given her a nickname, which she was slowly growing accustomed to. And he would leave his post of being at his princess' side just to come and see how she was doing, or saving her from an uncomfortable conversation with Diamond.

She was slowly yet gradually desiring to see him, as he somehow makes her feel _free_. Uncaged, even, from her purpose in Terra. Seiya somehow makes her forget about Endymion, as his good mood rubs off on her and all other thoughts are pushed away into some corner of her mind where she cannot access them until he was out of her sight.

_Am I starting to like him?_ Usagi asked herself. A small tint of blush warmed her cheeks to answer her question.

But soon, panic gripped her. She cannot like him, she reminded herself. She was supposed to marry Endymion as she was to be loyal to him, instead of falling for another.

_But… I _want _to like Seiya for the time being,_ Usagi thought selfishly. She wanted to be happy, and right now, if it meant liking another male other than her husband-to-be was the only way to achieve it – then so be it. She will not proclaim her feelings for Seiya as "love" as it was nowhere close, but it was a mere crush; a good distraction for her own good.

_I will be responsible for my actions… _

oOo

He came to visit her later that night to apologize for his behavior, as any gentleman would. There was a knock on her door and when Usagi went to answer it, she was greeted with Endymion's presence. He looked expressionless as always, but there was a hint of remorse this time. At first, they did not speak to one another which resulted into an awkward silence.

Endymion cleared his throat to break the tension. He asked, "May I come in?"

She cleared out of his way to allow him entry to her current room. Endymion stepped inside and softly closed the door behind him as he did not wish for their conversation to be heard by unwanted ears. He looked over to Usagi and soon, he exhaled audibly.

"I apologize for my rude behavior from this morning," he started, peering down at the blonds' face as he spoke his words carefully. "It truly was not my intention to offend you."

Usagi calmly replied back, "You are already forgiven, Endymion-sama. Luna had taken the trouble of apologizing for your case earlier this afternoon."

Endymion sighed. "But hearing my apology from Luna's mouth is worthless; it does not mean anything unless I apologize for _my_ own actions, as I should take responsibility over them," he explained, looking slightly disappointed. But he quickly recomposed himself when he added, "I thank you for accepting my apology."

Usagi looked away from him she gave him a reply. "No, it was my fault. I had interrupted you when you were speaking, Endymion-sama." She decided from their previous conversation that she would _never_ speak at the same time he would, since Endymion was terribly frightening when he was displeased.

"We are on neutral terms then," Endymion stated, which sounded more like a question to Usagi's ears.

She dumbly nodded. "I guess we are…"

Another moment of silence greeted the two individuals, and Usagi was unsure of what she should do. She opted of making a small chat since they were at peace with one another now, but she decided not to. What if she offends him again? So the possibility of making up a feeble excuse such as she was tired so she should go to bed seemed alright to her. She would fall for it if she were in Endymion's place, so surely he would too?

It was not as if she despised his company; she was just uncomfortable in his presence since they have hardly interacted and here she was, engaged to the man who would deprive her village of rain for long periods of time which eventually lead for famine to occur frequently. Usagi was just not sure of how to make the best of her situation. She did not wish to fake her happiness since it would be equivalent of lying to her own self.

_"__Are you elated, miserable, or neutral?"_

Diamond's words suddenly rang in her head repeatedly, causing her to cringe visibly from the person who spoke them and how the question affected her so much. Usagi truly could not determine how she truly felt about her situation, but with Endymion standing right in front of her, she would have to pick none of the above. She felt nervous, yet she was calm at the same time.

_He has one scary demeanor, _Usagi blamed silently.

"You are to eat with me during the hour of eating," Endymion suddenly blurted as he received the blonds' full attention then.

Usagi blinked in confusion as she assessed his words, wondering what he meant by wanting her to eat with him. Did he want to repeat the day's events or did he want to make amends with her and treat her to delicious food frequently? She hoped for the latter, as her stomach purred in pleasure against its walls.

"Sure…" she said slowly. Usagi decided the less she speaks, there would be a smaller possibility of the chance to offend the Water God.

"I wish for us to converse with one another without any silent moments that would come often between us," Endymion explained softly.

Usagi couldn't help but to smile then. "Alright, Endymion-sama. I shall dine with you from now on,"

The water deity seemed pleased of how easily she accepted to his gentle command as his eyes softened and the edge of his lip tilted upwards. It was not completely noticeable, but Usagi was happy when she spotted the tiny grin.

Endymion re-opened the door and stepped backwards back into the silent hallway. His eyes remained on Usagi's face the entire time and shortly after, he spoke again. "I bid you a peaceful slumber,"

"Goodnight, Endymion-sama," Usagi replied back. But when the image of beautiful kimonos resting in her closet flashed in her head, she quickly called out after him. "And thank you for the kimonos! They are very beautiful."

Endymion promptly responded, "It was my pleasure. I shall see you when the sun rises."

Usagi silently closed her door and leaned her back against the cold marble of its texture. She was glad that Endymion initiated for them to meet more often now, as well as she was nervous at the same time. For their future's sake, she desperately hoped that the two of them will get along well as they are to marry anytime as he would decide on the date.

Crossing a pair of fingers behind her back, Usagi hoped that it would not be anytime soon. She was certainly not mentally prepared to face her own marriage just yet.

* * *

AN: FINALLY UPDATED. Oh Gods. This chapter took me such a long time as I procrastinated... :( I hope you guys enjoyed this chapter, I was so-so while writing it cause I don't know. I think I'll be looking forward to the future chapters more though, as I am excited to write some romance between the two main characters which this story has been lacking. But from this story, it kinda initiates that it would begin to happen soon! And the Lunar Ball, of course..

And I went back to chapter 3 and I took out a important factor, which is hardly noticible, so don't worry - you don't have to go back to look for the change: I'll mention it in the next chapter.

I'll try to upload next week, if I have the time, as I'm due for three projects. :S Thanks for your paitence and I hope you'll continue to read my story! :) And review, too?


	5. Chapter V

AN: YES! I'm one-third way done this story, according to how I originally planned for it to follow through. But I have a feeling it might be longer if my words decide to randomly space out and expand more on my ideas... :S 'cause after the Lunar Ball chapter (three chapters ahead, I think, where Usagi's and Endymion's romance is going to happen), I'm just going on a whim. Kinda unplanned, but I guess inspiration will strike me along the way.

And yes, the reason and what happened to the other human girls who had been sacrificed will be explained in the **_future_** chapters, just not yet.

**amyscott:** Ami and Makoto will be mentioned in chapter seven, but they won't be playing a big role in my story :( and Motoki will play a significant part in the future :)

**x-YingYing-x**: Aww, thanks for the nice review! :) I'm glad that my writing exceeded your initial expectations, since I didn't know I had it in me :O

Summary: Many beautiful women were offered to the Water God in order to please him so he would allow rain to fall from the sky. But when it was Tsukino Usagi's turn to be sacrificed, she discovered things get quite complicated when she falls in love with another.

* * *

_The Sacrifice _

Chapter V

* * *

Days passed ever since that day. The day when she discovered that she bore the same face as Serenity, encountering Diamond for the first time, being introduced to Seiya's princess along with her guardians, and when Endymion came to her room in the late evening to give her an apology. Since then, Usagi seemed to spend her days in a daily routine: wake up early in the morning, get dressed in one of the lovely kimonos Endymion had given her before she accompanied him during meal time. After their first meal, she was usually allowed to set off in the palace to do her own bidding till their second meal which would occur later on in the late evening.

Usagi found it strange how the people in this realm lived off eating only twice a day while back in her village, people would view their lifestyle as a luxury. The villagers would be extremely lucky to be blessed with one whole meal, since food was not seen as a necessity but more as a reward.

And although she accompanied Endymion during his meal along with Artemis and Luna, other people joined them on rare occasions. The Goddess of Fire joined them once and she had hardly spoken during the meal, as she would only talk to Usagi's future husband while silencing other conversations which were occurring around them. She would make small chats to Luna and Artemis, but she never spoke to Usagi again after that time when they had encountered one another near the Old Palace.

Thankfully, Luna was always present during the hour of eating since she seemed to be fond of the company which belonged to the water deity's advisor, Artemis. They conversed as if they were close friends, yet flirted like a pair of young lovers at the same time. Usagi thought they would make one loving couple, if it were to ever happen.

She had once asked Luna what her relationship with Endymion's advisor was, but she had not received a direct answer. Instead, the older woman turned scarlet red in the face and insisted that they should be reviewing over what roles she would have to perform once her husband-to-be would announce their engagement. They had consisted of accompanying Endymion to social gatherings, hour of eating, and the sharing of his bedroom (which she turned crimson red at, and could not maintain eye contact with Luna when she listed them out).

Supposedly, Usagi was to be present at the luncheon which Kakyuu and her Kinmokusei guardians attended along with other mysterious guests who came to Terra from other planets for the celebration of the Lunar Ball. But Luna mentioned that Endymion did not wish for her presence, as they were not in best of terms during that time and suggested that she was needed at another social gathering instead. And she had been right; if Usagi had been asked to attend the luncheon and saw the Water God's face then, she would have been assaulted by her own raw emotions at the time.

There have been times when Usagi was unable to keep her emotions in tact, such as when the God of Ice would join them for dinner. The first time he made his presence in the dining room, Usagi was appalled. She was not used to seeing him outside of the Old Palace, and was curious to know why he was walking among the livelier part of the palace. And soon, she received her answer; Diamond was related to the God of Water, through his deceased father's side of the family.

Diamond appeared to be very pleased when he first spotted her in the dining room, accompanying his cousin during his meal. Usagi suppressed a frown from appearing from her face when the ice deity took his seat next to hers, opposite of Endymion. His choice of seating seemed logical enough, since he would normally speak to his cousin who sat across from him as communication was more efficient rather than talking to another on their either side.

Usagi happened to be an exception as Diamond would attempt to strike numerous of conversations with her while they dined. Endymion did not seemed to mind, as the two of them would appear as acquaintances where the Ice God merely wanted to get to know her better since she was to become a part of his family. But she, however, minded very much. Diamond was putting on a facade where he even asked her for her name, as he pretended to have never encountered her before during their second conversation. Usagi did not mind that very much that he had lied in front of the other God, but the fact that his hand was snaking its way towards her thigh ever since he had sat down every time was starting to get on her nerves.

It truly was difficult to enjoy food when one's mind was too preoccupied by being vigilant of their surrounding.

Her tolerance to his hand decreased over the course of meals they have shared as Usagi would seek for Luna's company to escort her to the washroom although by then, she knew where it was located. The older woman had caught on afterwards but she did not question her motives, to which Usagi was thankful for. The men, however, did not seem to notice as they assumed women would normally travel to the washroom in groups. Except for Diamond, of course. He was downright displeased whenever the blond hastily fled from his the company of his hand.

But other than those disturbing moments which would accompany Diamond whenever he would join the two of them, Usagi would converse with Endymion. Their progress had been improving gradually, along with the help from Luna and Artemis who would be often present during their meals. From their second meal which was filled with silence and small talks, they now conversed about general subjects such as the life in the palace, and the condition of the village which she had yet to visit since Luna had first guided her. Endymion wisely avoided the topic of their marriage as he did not wish to upset her, not when they were making progress. Usagi presumed he would bring up the topic sooner or later, as it was inevitable.

Unless he were to change his mind, of course.

Usagi dismissed the thought as she walked among the east corridors of the palace, the opposite direction of the Old Palace, which was located in the west. It was mid-afternoon of the day when Luna informed her that she could have a free day to herself, not wishing to overwhelm her with the responsibilities of her future position in the Mizu kingdom beside the Water God. She wasn't sure how she should spend the rest of her afternoon since unlike of a servant girl, she did not have daily duties to carry out. When she questioned Luna of how she were to spend her day free from teaching her, the woman answered that she would be helping out the servant girls with their responsibilities of tending to the guests residing in the palace for the time being.

She had noticed various unfamiliar faces walking among the palace, and just like Kakyuu, each important figure was escorted by two to four guardians. Luna once told her that the guests are ruling monarchs of their very own respectable planets, and although they hold the royal title, their ranks were inferior to the ones in the Mizu kingdom. Endymion's kingdom held the most power. Of all the lands in the Realm of the Gods, Terra dominated over them economically, socially, and politically. The land consisted large bodies of water, dominating the majority of Terra, thus giving the water deity a powerful title.

And if she _did_ marry him, what would that make her? A powerless figurehead, perhaps? After all, she was human who consisted of no abilities to manipulate an element nor was she a princess. She was, after all, merely a peasant who arrived from an underprivileged village in a different realm.

Usagi continued to walk in silence as she was consumed in her own thoughts.

Why was Endymion so keen on marrying her, anyways? Usagi knew she did not have anything valuable that she could offer to the Water God, which made her even more confused. Also, her village could not offer anything to him either; what did her small village have that he doesn't already have? His kingdom was endlessly supplied with marvelous food, appealing clothing, and hygienic water. From the looks of it, the realm of Terra would never reach anywhere close to what her village had gone through in the levels of suffering.

_Maybe he just wants a female company next to him during the social gatherings so he wouldn't appear to be lonely. _The possibility entered the blonds' mind. _Or, maybe it's one of his clever methods to get rid of the females who harass him for his attention..._

She had accompanied the God of Water twice during the last week to the events of socialization. Majority of the guests who arrived on the scene were female, as Endymion informed her that male guests are to arrive few days before the event just so they could monitor their respectable planets incase the possibilities of any events which could lead to war. Usagi had not missed the immense amount of attention her husband-to-be received when he had first entered the room, while she quietly trailed behind him.

The ladies did not seem to notice her presence until Endymion had taken his seat in the room and she had taken the seat next to him. It was then when numerous pairs of eyes were fixed on her as if the ladies have turned hawk-mode where she was the prey. The seat she had taken was vacant for years, she discovered, as the Water God would not allow anyone to sit next to him as he would sit in front of the room while the ladies sat in rows across from him. Usagi remembered that she had reacted by involuntarily tensing her shoulders as her entire body stiffened immediately from the penetrating eyes who observed her, most likely judging her silently in their heads.

Endymion would then call for the servant girls to enter and serve them tea before he would greet his guests and show his gratitude for attending the gathering and the women responded politely, laughed, or even flirted with him in front of her. But the water deity did not seem fazed by their flirting ways one bit. Then they would converse about their own planets and Terra, while they would not intrude into personal matters. None of the women, she assumed, wanted to be seen as nosy enough to ask the water deity of who she was. So Usagi kept silent and was glad to do so until she followed him out of the room when every woman seemed content with their tea and the meeting.

He had asked her why she did had not spoken when they were far enough from the socializing room, and she hesitantly told him that she did not know of the names of his guests and did not have any knowledge of the realm to which she could provide in a conversation. It was the truth, and Usagi did not wish to offend her future husband by informing him that she was shy upon meeting new people: a trait that Luna once told her is not appreciated once she obtained her new position after her marriage.

The second gathering was taken place in the dining room, as the Mizu kingdom showcased their spectacular seafood delicacies that they had available in the palace. The guests marveled at the sight once they had stepped into the room, and once every single guest was seated, Endymion called for their attention before he brought the attention down to Usagi when he had introduced her in front of everyone. Usagi was baffled when he introduced her so unexpectedly, but she was not granted any time to speak since her husband-to-be made a grand announcement afterwards of which they were to be married soon.

The reactions from the ladies were loud as they instantly chattered among themselves afterwards. Moments later, a small majority seemed to be happy for the water deity as they came up to them and wished them happiness while they congratulating at the same time. But the majority of them casted her envious glares and kept their honest comments to themselves. But they grudgingly wished her congratulations and Endymion ignored their voices which were filled with bitterness. Afterwards, the ladies acted as if Endymion had not announced their one-sided engagement and conversed normally.

It wasn't much, but at least it was a start. Endymion seemed pleased that she had at least made a number of few conversations with his guests afterwards.

Usagi sighed resignedly. _I hardly doubt that's the reason; Endymion seemed to be immune to their advances from the first social gathering..._

So if that was not the reason, then what was it?

A possibility intruded her mind, causing her to blush feverishly as she was incapable to let out any words. It was of the third responsibility, the one where she was to share his bedroom. Suddenly, she could picture herself on the bed with Endymion's body pressing down against hers tightly, and he was kissing her everywhere; her lips and face before descending downwards...

_Snap out of it, Usagi! _Usagi told herself with a firm voice. _You're not even his wife _yet, _but you're already picturing this scene in your head..._

She sighed. What was happening to her?

Keep walking, she told herself. If you do not have the answer, then continue to walk until it will come to you. So that's what she did; Usagi continued to walk silently among the lonely hallway without a thought in mind. However, she paused momentarily when she heard a pair of familiar voices conversing with one another. It only took her few seconds to figure out that those voices belonged to the Goddess of Love and the Goddess of Fire.

"My Gods, I am absolutely starting to loathe the weather these days. It is too humid and I could feel my hair sizzling!" Minako complained while she fidgeted in her seat, looking uncomfortable while her hand was fanning her face. "I wish it would be cooler."

"Why? I think it is lovely." Rei did not seem to notice the other Goddess' discomfort.

"Oh, of course _you _would, Rei-chan. Fire is your element after all, so I believe you would not be able to feel the sun's blazing rays scorching against your face!"

"No, I would not."

"... I hate you sometimes," Minako said, giving her friend a small envious glare.

"You truly do not, Minako-chan," Rei brushed off her comment lightly. "Stop being ridiculous."

Minako rolled her eyes before she had suddenly brightened up, changing the subject of their conversation by bringing up a new one. "Oh! Have you already heard of the news? Endymion is getting married to Usagi-chan!"

"Of course I have heard. The entire palace has been gossiping over it for the past few days now," came Rei's curt reply. Unlike the other Goddess, she did not seem a bit interested about the engagement. Rather, she sounded lightly bitter about the news although her face did not falter any emotions.

"Were you surprised when you had first heard the news, Rei-chan?" The blond Goddess asked curiously. She did not wait for her friend to answer since she continued to speak. "Well, I absolutely was. Endymion is getting married to a _human_, after all. It is quite unordinary among us Gods, ne?"

Rei remained silent.

"Well, I certainly am interested in seeing how things will all turn out," Minako commented as she continued to babble out her thoughts. "Just picture of how the other Gods have taken this news. For me, I am merely surprised of how Endymion would allow himself to marry a human - not that there is anything wrong of Usagi-chan, of course. She seems lovely, but I worry for her..."

"Why?" asked the Fire Goddess with a stoic face.

"Well, she has to adjust herself well beside Endymion which could bring her a lot of stress. He is a kind man, but even I have noticed how _detatched_ he is. He will not allow himself to get emotionally attached to anyone," Minako answered softly before she soon added, "Not after Serenity's death, that is."

Rei's eyes snapped up to meet Minako's, which were blazing with anger. She failed to notice how both blonds flinched visibly from the stare. "It would be a surprise if he was _not_ precautious of his emotions after the day Serenity died. She meant a great deal to him, to _us,_ incase if you had forgotten."

Minako then understood the reason why her friend appeared to be mildly angered by her earlier words. "No, I have not allowed myself to forget _her_ - how could I, Rei-chan?" she asked rhetorically.

"I do not know of how your mind functions, Minako-chan."

"Well, I have not, do you understand? I will _never_ forget Serenity."

Rei plainly replied, although there was a hint of relief in her voice, "I am relieved to hear those words from you."

Minako rolled her eyes before she suddenly stated, "You dislike her."

"No," Rei told her with an emotionless face. "I merely do not approve of her."

"But you hardly know her! Even _I_ hardly know her, Rei-chan," Minako chided. "It is unfair to judge someone when you are hardly acquainted with them."

"I have spoken to her before," was the lame excuse the Fire Goddess offered.

Minako sighed exasperatedly. "That is injustice, and you know it. At least get more acquainted with the girl before you decide whether you like her or not," she suggested. "I want to get to know her; she appears to be very intriguing."

"She bears Serenity's face!" Rei snapped at her friend. "Perhaps the reason of your desire to get yourself acquainted with the human girl is because of how it would create an illusion as if you were talking to Serenity herself."

"That is not true, Rei-chan..."

Rei pretended not to hear the blonds' meek reply. "Do not forget, Minako-chan. Do not forget that Serenity is _dead_ and she will _never_ return back to us. That is the harsh reality we have to face."

"... I know, Rei-chan. But this has nothing to do with Usagi-chan," Minako responded while she diverted her eyes away from the Fire Goddess. "I truly do wish to get acquainted with her because she seems like a nice girl. And she must be lonely; she has only been in Terra for less than a moon's cycle, after all."

The Goddess of Fire did not say anymore after that. She got up from her seat and turned to leave, only to spot Usagi looking guilty of being caught eavesdropping on their conversation. Her eyes slightly narrowing, Rei did not say anything while the human girl hastily bowed her head in an apology before scurrying away from the scene. Minako, who was now beside her, saw the scene and let out a sigh.

"I should go and talk to her," Minako said softly, her eyes staring after the direction which Usagi chose to take when she fled from the scene.

"If you must."

oOo

Usagi ran as fast as her two legs could carry her towards the direction of her bedroom, where she would be able to lock herself inside in order to be isolated from the rest of the world. At first, she could only hear the sounds of her zori's making contact with the palace floor while she panted from the shortage of breath, her body demanding to stop running and catch her breath. But she ignored her body's pleas once she heard Minako's voice calling after her name, trying to get her to stop running.

"Usagi-chan! Usagi-chan!" Minako called after her from several of meters away while she tried to decrease the amount of distance between them.

But she kept on running, pretending as if she had not heard the voice which belonged to the Goddess of Love, who was trying to get her attention at the moment. Usagi didn't feel like talking to anyone at the moment, as she felt embarrassed from being caught rudely eavesdropping and slightly cheerless from what the Fire Goddess had said about her as well.

"Please stop running! Usagi-chan, _are you even listening to me_?"

Her plan was to keep running until she had reached her room, disappear inside it, fake sleep and wait until the Goddess of Love would leave before she was allowed to have time for herself, to sort out the Goddess' conversation and her feelings over them. But it did not go as planned when Minako had sudden materialized in front of Usagi, looking slightly stern.

Usagi gasped before she had nearly collided with the other blond, who managed to prevent their near collision by steadying her by the arms.

"Minako-chan, how...?"

Minako giggled. "I possess certain ability as a Goddess, Usagi-chan," she explained before she suddenly turned serious. "We need to talk."

Usagi looked down at her pair of zori's, avoiding the Goddess of Love's eyes. "I know; I'm sorry for eavesdropping on your conversation, Minako-chan. I just happened to walk by and-" she was silenced when Minako raised her hand in front of her face, signaling for her to stop talking.

"No, I do not mind that. And I am sure that Rei-chan does not mind either," Minako added the last part hastily, sounding uncertain. But she shrugged it off before she continued, "I hope our conversation did not offend you, Usagi-chan. Because if it did, I apologize on my behalf for speaking about you in such manner."

Usagi shooked her head. "You didn't offend me in any way, Minako-chan," she told the Goddess, who appeared to be relieved after her reply.

"Good. Now that is all sorted out, we shall go on a short stroll," exclaimed Minako as she began to walk towards the direction of the palace garden where her tone friendly implied that Usagi was expected to come without any complaints.

She followed Minako into the palace garden where they were able to locate a cream colored bench, which appeared as if it was deliberately designed for lovers. Usagi expected for Minako to sit on the bench before she would elucidate the reason for them spending time together, but she did not. Instead, the Goddess of Love walked over to a nearby cherry blossom tree only to admire it.

Minako did not advert her eyes from the white flowered tree when she asked, "Beautiful, are they not? I simply love the white cherry blossoms; it reminds me of the snow, although the season of spring had arrived some time ago."

Usagi nodded in agreement. "Yeah, they are beautiful indeed."

The Goddess reached for a single flower before she held it gently in her palm, studying its features carefully. "These flowers are grown every year for the celebration of the Lunar Ball," she told the younger girl. "Basically, it is an event intended for lovers."

"Its origin contained a pair of lovers itself, am I correct?"

Minako asked with a smile, "So you know the story, I presume?"

"Yeah, it was Endymion-sama and Serenity-sama's love story," Usagi answered slowly, uncertain if she should get herself further involved in the Terranian life by talking about her husband-to-be's previous wife. "Luna told me about the happening on the first day I had arrived here, but she didn't mention her name."

"So you have figured out Serenity's name by yourself."

Usagi shrugged her shoulders. "It wasn't really _that_ difficult. If you put bits of pieces of information together, everything fits perfectly like a puzzle." She didn't want to reveal that she came to know the Moon Goddess' name when Endymion had once called her by it one late evening.

"Possibly so," agreed Minako before she turned to face the human girl to ask, "I assume you are curious of Serenity as her name has come up several of times in your presence, are you not?"

Before she could answer, Rei's angry words appeared in her head from their past encounter. She talked as if Usagi was an intruder of Serenity's life, unwelcoming her whenever she could.

_"...Serenity's life did not involve you, human."_

_She's right_, Usagi grimly agreed with the Fire Goddess. As curious as she was to know about Endymion's first lover, the same woman who shared a similar face of her own, she did not have the right to be nosy. Besides, the Moon Goddess was dead, after all. What was the point of talking about the past?

Minako, however, did not seem to notice the perplexed expression which appeared on her face since she continued to ramble on. "Well, I am certain that you _do_ wish to know, since Endymion has been with her before you. It is only right that you do know, since you are to marry him. At least, that is what _I_ believe in. But if you do not wish to know, Usagi-chan, you are more than welcome to leave."

"I... I suppose I'll stay," Usagi said quietly, still uncertain. But the Goddess of Love appeared to be pleased with her decision as she did not mind her current state of emotions.

"Good," Minako said merrily before clasping her hands together in excitement. "Now, what do you wish to know about? I'll answer _anything_, Usagi-chan. Just ask away!"

Usagi then started to try and conjure up any specific questions for Minako to answer, who would easily give her whatever information she wished to know from her. But what did she wish to know? She asked herself that for some time now, trying to come up with a relative simple question at first as she did not wish to ask too much of the deceased Goddess.

"What was she like?" was the first question.

Suddenly, Minako had a fond look on her face as a smile graced upon her lips before she answered the question. "Serenity was a very kind Goddess who ruled over the Moon. She was full of love and she shared that love with everyone around her, alluring them to her. Everyone would just want to be with her, wanting a piece of her in their lives. I was lucky; she was my best friend, apart from Rei-chan. Serenity loved everyone and everyone loved Serenity. It was difficult to even speak ill of her."

Usagi nodded in understanding although she felt a bit solemn from Minako's words. She assumed before that Serenity was an amazing woman since she had Endymion's love, the man who appeared as if he had devoid himself of such an emotion. But she did not expect for her to sound so... perfect. So loveable.

Just how can she compete with such a formidable Goddess? Surely, numbers of people in Terra must have already compared her to Serenity. She probably appeared to be a large disappointment, especially because of their similar appearance.

Minako noticed her sudden change of mood as she genuinely began to look concerned. Placing her arm on her shoulder, she asked with a gentle voice, "Are you alright?"

"I... I'm fine," she mumbled in reply.

"I think we should leave things as it is. It was my mistake to even initiate the conversation towards this direction. We should not pry into this subject any further," Minako began with a firm voice, which implied that there shouldn't be any opposition. "Clearly, you are not ready to hear about Serenity just yet. Perhaps later on, when you are much more mentally prepared, Usagi-chan, you may ask me more about her."

Usagi shaked her head frantically. She wanted to know more of Serenity as she had several of more questions lined up she wanted to ask the Goddess of Love. "No, please..." she pleaded, which did not seemed to faze the other blond.

Minako squeezed her shoulder, halting her words from continuing. "Perhaps, Usagi-chan, you should ask Endymion about her. It is true that Serenity was one of my best friends, but as his past lover, Endymion would know her best." Her suggestion made Usagi's mouth dry, as she would know she didn't have the courage to ask him of his previous wife. If the subject of sunny weather offended him, hell, that was nothing compared to this where it was more personal!

"Do not be afraid of him," advised Minako. "You should be _never_ afraid of the man you are about to marry. Rather, use this as an opportunity to get to improve your relationship with him. Personal matters or not, you _deserve_ to know this, Usagi-chan."

"I... I will certainly consider it," Usagi replied back hesitantly.

"Why are you afraid of him anyways?"

Usagi bit her lower lip nervously before she confessed. "It's because from the day when I had first met you. After we've met, I accompanied him for his breakfast. It was our first time sharing a meal together. I brought up the topic of the bright weather outside, wanting to be there and before I knew it, he seemed displeased. I don't know what I've said to offend him..."

Minako waved her hand dismissively. "Oh, do not fret over that! Endymion is merely weak against the sun, as it should be expected. The sun makes it difficult for him to manipulate the water since they would evaporate at times."

She blinked several of times before Minako's words finally made sense into her. It did, since the sun's bright rays would soak the water up in order to dry the land. So when she had said aloud of how she desired to be outside, she had unintentionally brought up Endymion's weakness. No wonder he had seemed a bit sour then.

"Oh..."

"Yes," Minako nodded and waited for several of moments before asking, "I was curious of one thing, Usagi-chan. And I was hoping if I was able to question you about it."

"Go ahead and ask away, Minako-chan."

"What brings you to Terra in the first place?" Minako asked her. "My honest intentions are not to be rude and pry into your personal life, but I am genuinely curious of the reason you came here."

Usagi released a soft sigh before she had answered the Goddess' question. "I was chosen to be sacrificed to Endymion-sama's wife by my village so he would bestow us with rain." She observed of how the Goddess' eyes had widened to a large extent and one of her hands to cover her mouth while she gasped audibly.

"Oh, that is terrible!"

She received a sympathetic look from the older woman, but she did not mind them since she was largely confused. Usagi hesitantly questioned, "Did you not know of this, Minako-chan?"

"No, I did not," the Goddess of Love answered immediately, looking appalled. "Humans do not value their own lives, do they not? If they are sacrificing one of their own so easily then...-"

Usagi inhaled sharply before she interjected, "No, that isn't true. No one wanted to sacrifice _anyone_, but it had to be done. If they hadn't, then everyone including myself would have died by now."

She didn't know why she was defending her village, she really didn't. But somehow, it felt _right_ that she did so. Even if Minako had never set a foot in her village, Usagi believed that she did not have the right to speak ill of her village nor any of its residents. It was her home place, after all. The place which where the people she loved are: her family and friends.

"But they had discarded you away from your home!"

"It was for the good of the village," Usagi responded, noticing how her voice sounded dead of any emotions. "If it wasn't me, then some other girl would have been in my place."

Minako remained silent for a minute before she questioned, "Does this occur in your village often, Usagi-chan? Sacrificing a young woman from your village, that is."

Usagi blinked. "What? Our village had faithfully sacrificed a villager every seven years," she responded tightly. "Haven't you ever encountered a human girl before?"

"No, I have not. You are the first human I have come across in this lifetime, Usagi-chan."

"... Minako-chan, do you reside in the Mizu kingdom?" Usagi asked, sounding a little frightened now as she was desperate for the Goddess of Love's answer. She was hoping for a no, but life doesn't play things out the way you wanted since Minako gave her a different answer.

"Yes, I have been residing in Terra since over four hundred years ago."

Usagi was panting heavily now as she could feel her heart rate accelerating, which worried the Goddess, but that was the least of her worries. She asked her another question, "How many times have Endymion-sama married, Minako-chan?"

Minako easily answered, "Once, of course. Serenity was his one and only wife, until you have married him, of course."

The answer she had received then scared every inch of her body. Usagi was alarmed, as she was inquisitive of why Endymion had married only once. Did he discard them all because he did not approve of any of the human girls before him as he deemed them to be unfit as his future wife? Or did something happen to all of them? She was scared for the previous sacrificed villagers, more than for herself.

Suddenly, she was determined to find out what had happened to them. Abruptly, she turned from her company and began to sprint for the dining room with Minako calling after her.

"Usagi-chan! Where are you heading?"

But the Goddess of Love's words was heard on blind ears since Usagi's thoughts had preoccupied her mind at the moment. The thoughts of the previous villagers, as there should be over twenty of them. What happened to them? She would know the answer. And if she wanted to know, she had to ask Endymion as he would surely know since he would have decided their fate. They were all sent to Terra for him, after all, and she was no exception.

She would seek him out first, and then she would demand him for the answer she was looking for. Although they were making progress up to this point, Usagi was not afraid to shatter it for selfish cause. This question would determine whichever direction her future was heading, and to discover if the previous sacrifices her village had made for the past hundreds of years had been really worth it.

_But what if it wasn't really all that worth it?_ A small question asked her from the back of her mind, to which she had a difficult time swallowing her saliva. The voice didn't give her enough time to answer to her own conscience when it had asked her another question, taunting her. _What if, in the end, he'll somehow make you 'disappear' too? Perhaps you'll be one of the forgotten ones, so forgotten which even Minako won't remember you in a few years' time._

A grim smile formed on her lips, which somehow made her saliva taste a bit bitter from her sour thoughts. But that feeling dissipated once when her determination had taken its place as she steered her mind clear towards her objective.

Usagi had now stood in front of the grand doors of the dining room. As she stared directly at it, she could feel her palms turning slick with a small amount of sweat that had formed on them. Instantly, she began to chew on her lower lip. As she was determined to unravel what had happened to her previous villagers, she couldn't deny the fact that she was very nervous. Endymion had a frightening aura around him, which heightens by an enormous amount once a sign of a frown makes its way onto his lips.

_No, Usagi. You _have_ to do this! _She told herself over and over again, feeling a bit more confident after each time.

She had taken several of deep breaths for a good measure before hastily wiping her hands with the sleeves of her kimono to get rid of the sweat before she had placed both hands against the door before she pushed her it open while preparing herself to bravely confront her future husband for the very first and hopefully for the last time.

* * *

AN: I hope you enjoyed reading this chapter :) And again, the questions _will _be answered for the reason for the sacrifices and what happened to the sacrificed girls later on. This chapter feels really short to me :S I'm not sure why, but maybe it's because the AN's so short for this chapter; I believe this chapter has the shortest word count. :(

And thanks for the wonderful reviews! Both the nice and the ones which point out any of my mistakes I had previously made. They really do brighten my day :) So thanks a lot for those.


	6. Chapter VI

**AN:** I'm so sorry for the late update :( I've been super busy lately with school and getting off-track by reading some really good stories! :D And thankyouthankyouthankyou for the awesome reviews! I think the last chapter received the most amount of reviews, which really surprised me! I'm glad that people really like this story. It makes me happy :D

And although I said I'd write up another Sailor Moon story soon, I'm so tempted to write an Escaflowne one instead after reading **waterbottleandpillows**' story along with re-watching one third of the anime today :( Oh man...

**Pamela**: Don't worry, I'm not planning to take a break from this story :) I'll be able to finish by August, hopefully! But if I do delay the updates, it'll be because of school and vacations.

**Lady Aya: **Awwwe, I'm glad you decided to read my version! And no, I'm not planning to have the kid curse; I think it's kind of too complicated, in a way. x-x; And I'm sure you'd notice I've borrowed some of their lines from the manga :O

**xSapphirexRosesxFanx:** I think that's the most amount of questions I've ever received O.O And I'll only answer one of them since the rest of them will come along in the story, and I don't wanna give out a spolier. Her destiny's not to suffer; she'll choose her own decisions of how to act in her situation and if she'll tackle it correctly, then no, she won't suffer.

**mistressamy:** Sorry but no, the Outers aren't going to appear in this story as much as I love them :(

**Sakura Ichigo Morihiko:** LOL your assumption made me laugh so much! I enjoyed your review :D

Summary: Many beautiful women were offered to the Water God in order to please him so he would allow rain to fall from the sky. But when it was Tsukino Usagi's turn to be sacrificed, she discovered things get quite complicated when she falls in love with another.

* * *

_The Sacrifice_

Chapter VI

* * *

The moment she had stepped into the dining room, two pairs of blue eyes were immediately fixed on her. Endymion was indeed inside the room with Artemis at his side as usual, appearing as if they had been going through some planning as there were several of scattered parchments all over the table where she was accustomed to seeing food in its place instead. The advisor gave her a wave of greeting to which Usagi hardly noticed. Her eyes were too busy staring at the face which belonged to her husband-to-be.

Endymion raised one of his eyebrows as he acknowledged her presence. "To what do I owe this pleasure? We are to eat in several of hours in time; I will have Luna come and inform you when it is time, unless there is something you need of me?"

Usagi swallowed audibly. She then narrowed her eyes slightly when she replied back with a question of her own. "Endymion-sama, I heard that you've only married once. Is that true?"

"That is correct," was Endymion's straightforward answer. There was a small hint of curiosity in his voice as he wondered why she had suddenly brought up this question of his previous marriage in the first place. "Why do you suddenly ask of this?"

"I'm curious, Endymion-sama," Usagi told him. "I'm asking because perhaps your answer will determine my future."

Endymion's eyes narrowed. "Your future is right beside me as my wife - nothing else should be of an importance," he replied matter-of-factly, stating the obvious.

Gradually, Usagi was getting more and more aggravated by the Water God's attitude per second. Why couldn't he answer her goddamn question already? It was simple one, too; he only had to say either yes or no. But it seemed as if he was rather interested in stating her obvious position at the moment, reminding her that she was in Terra, the place where she held no position in until they have married.

She took several of deep breaths before she had asked him another question, hoping he would not evade it once more. "If you had married only once, then what happened to the other human girls, Endymion-sama?"

"Other human girls?" he echoed questioningly as one of his eyebrows rose. Endymion turned to his advisor who had shrugged his shoulders as he did not offer a response, obviously confused as he was. He turned back to Usagi and asked, "What are you speaking of? I have never encountered a human in this lifetime before you."

"That's a lie!" Usagi cried out angrily. The volume of her voice caused Artemis to make a surprised face while the water deity remained expressionless. "My village has sacrificed countless numbers of girls! We had faithfully continued the tradition every seven years just so you would bestow us with rain, Endymion-sama. Surely all of them must have arrived at Terra at one point and were greeted by Luna, just like I was!"

Endymion's voice was flat when he replied. "What nonsense are you spouting about? I have said it before, and I will say it again: I have never encountered a human girl before you. And the same applies to Luna as well."

"Then what happened to the other human sacrifices?" she asked him as her body quivered in fear for them. "Surely they must have ended up somewhere in Terra - I have seen the previous sacrificed villager with my own eyes, Endymion-sama. She had disappeared in a flash as water had enveloped her in a hug, taking her down into its large body. And I... never saw her again..."

"Your village must be desperate if they are sacrificing women of their own," Endymion commented, unmoved by her words. "However, such an act is considered as treason in Terra; we will not sacrifice any of our people willingly-"

"No one was sacrificed because they wanted to! No one had voluntarily participated for this bizarre... _thing_!" Usagi bellowed in rage as she could not think properly, her anger getting the best of her. Both of her fists were shaking which she had to strongly restrain them from flying out to punch her future husband in the face. "Nor did our village council _wanted_ to sacrifice anyone! It was done so _you _would provide us with rain! Rain that would allow our crops to grow, for people to drink, and to live from."

Endymion shaked his head as if she were speaking nonsense. Usagi's eyes narrowed in annoyance from the way he was handling their issue and before she could call him out on it, Artemis had butted in as he sensed the austere tension between the two.

"Perhaps we should dine early tonight, Endymion-sama?" Artemis suggested cheekily, trying to change the subject. He did not appreciate the pair arguing but he appreciated that they did not break out into a type of argument which involved physical contact. "I believe that food would be a large contributing factor which would melt this _uncomfortable _atmosphere we are currently experiencing. Do you not agree, Usagi-san?"

Both people did not look away from one another, nor did they acknowledge Artemis' words. Usagi was too busy glaring at the man in front of her, while he gave her a cold stare as he tried to appear intimidating.

"Perhaps I should call for a servant girl to bring our food in-"

Usagi had butted in by asking her future husband a question. "Then answer this, Endymion-sama: have you allowed rain to fall from my village since my arrival?"

"No, I have not."

After Endymion said those words, something inside Usagi exploded. She couldn't explain why, but she was suddenly consumed with fits of anger. Those angry feelings were telling her to be irrational; to shout, throw something at him, or just simply leave the site. But all three of those options involved him, and she didn't like it. Usagi knew she had to choose one of the three options.

She decided to make a belligerent response: "Why didn't you make it rain? Do you realize how your decision affects other peoples' lives? More people will die if it doesn't rain again, Endymion-sama! Do you even _care_?

"We all placed our faiths on you! Our lives depended on the rain you would bestow upon our village every seven years! Why are you playing our life as if you're the Creator of our world, selfishly determining if our people would live or not? Surely this cannot continue!"

"Cause and effect; nature gives back as much as it receives," Endymion answered before giving her an apathetic look. He then questioned, "Truly, the _selfish_ ones are the humans; do you not agree? As long as they are safe, they do not care what fate awaits everybody else."

His words stung. Despite that he had spoken the truth about the human nature, it was painful just to hear it coming from him. Usagi frowned, knowing he was deliberately mentioning her present circumstance within his words. How her village had freely sacrificed her to Endymion, part her away from her family and friends in order to survive...

Endymion continued by asking her a rhetorical question. "Surely, _you _must know that better than I do, do you not?"

Usagi's eyes darkened as she turned her body away from him, refusing to give him an answer. What was the point when he already knows the truth? Her village and her own circumstances; he knows _all_ of it. She then remembered some of the village elders' words whose voices were filled with desperation, laced with a greedy hunger to live before the village council had decided to call upon a meeting.

_"It's the seventh year... rain will no longer be blessed upon the village..."_

_"... if we offer a sacrifice, we can LIVE!"_

_"Just... only one..."_

Humans are selfish beings, Usagi had concluded. But then again, she could not place any blame on the village councils for proceeding with the ritual which consisted of sacrificing her and other previous villagers just so the remaining villagers could survive and continue to live on. She wanted to convince herself that they were being selfless in that way, but she could not. It was not as if they had really given her the choice; they had merely placed it upon her lap, with no chance of refusal. There was always the option of running away, but then her family would possibly not survive outside of their village. It was hard to make a significant amount of income in their current village, but to start anew... the possibility alienated her since she had resided in her village for all of her life.

Endymion's voice brought her back to reality. "And you..." Her head snapped up before she turned her head slightly in order to see his face. "Do you not think you are misunderstanding something?"

Both of Usagi's eyebrows knitted together in confusion, unsure of what he was implying under his words.

"I would have thought you would have known your place by now," stated Endymion. He turned to his advisor and ordered, "Artemis, inform Luna to teach her of proper manners immediately."

Artemis nodded. "Of course, Endymion-sama."

An angry blush ran across her face. Usagi gave him a hard look and said, "Don't bother wasting Luna's precious time, Endymion-sama. At least, not for awhile; I'm not interested in the slightest of doing anything that would please you one bit."

The silver haired advisor shifted his eyes from the human girl to the water deity frantically, wondering if they were going to get into another argument when she had openly defied him. He crossed both of his fingers behind his back, hoping they would not. He observed Endymion's mouth opening to retort back to the blond, but she had beaten him to it.

"Now, if you will excuse me, Endymion-sama," Usagi spoke curtly, as she started to walk towards the door. "I'll be taking my leave."

Endymion did not say anything as he watched her leave through the doors, Artemis standing beside him. After a moment of uncomfortable silence, his advisor had spoken up.

"Is this really alright, Endymion-sama?" asked Artemis, looking concerned as he, along with Endymion, continued to watch the retreating figure of the blond. "Are you fine with the possibility of tarnishing your relationship with Usagi-san? Perhaps for both of your sake's, you should present the humans with rain. I am sure it would bring her a large amount of happiness."

"The Earth is ugly and dried up because of the drought, and the humans are constantly fighting and killing each other callously. It is not _me_ - it is the humans who strangle themselves," responded Endymion, dismissing his advisor's suggestion. "Humans pollute water, and eventually, not only do they kill themselves, but other beings as well. In the end, everything will be destroyed."

Artemis sighed. "So I take it that you are not going to make it rain anytime soon, Endymion-sama?" he asked.

"... let us continue from where we had left off before we were unpredictably interrupted, Artemis," Endymion suggested impassively. He pretended not to hear his advisor's question as he did not wish to give him an answer. "Organizing the Lunar Ball is our main priority at the moment. We are running out of time as it draws closer each passing day."

"Of course, Endymion-sama."

oOo

_Tap tap tap..._

That was the only sound she could hear as she dashed towards her room, trying her hardest not to cry. But it was difficult to contain her tears in as her vision was gradually blurring, and soon after, her cheeks were damped with thin trails of her own tears. Within time, Usagi managed to locate her room and once she had entered, she soundly slammed it shut behind her. She was within her own walls now, where her privacy would not be invaded by a presence of another.

She walked into the washroom with legs that would tremble slightly, but she paid no attention to it. Once Usagi caught her reflection in the mirror, a batch of fresh hot tears formed on the corner of her eyes. The new ones replaced the cold, dried up ones; the procedure continued to cycle.

Turning on the tap, she watched as the water run around in the sink until it formed a large puddle. She stared down at her blurry reflection, which continued to shift as her teardrops formed small waves among its surface.

"I can't believe I'm actually crying," Usagi gasped as she felt as if there was a lump in her throat, making it difficult for her to speak. She realized then that it was her first time. Ever since she had first arrived in Terra, she had never once cried until now. "I can't believe I'm crying because of _him..._"

She didn't want to cry; no one freely chooses to. But she possessed a large heart, as she had been told numerous of times by the people in her village. She cared about what happened to the previous sacrifices, her fellow villagers. She was scared for them, but that was not the reason she was crying at the moment. It was not because Endymion had not given her a useful answers as well, claiming that none of the previous village girls had arrived in Terra in the first place.

No. Usagi was crying because of what Endymion had said to her, and how he had said it. The harsh tone he had used when he forcibly opened her eyes to her reality with his words, how she had been discarded from her selfish village as they clearly viewed their lives of a higher importance than her own. And the worst part was that she couldn't deny those accusations. Even if she tried to convince herself, there was always going to be that little voice at the back of her head, reminding her of where she stood in her life. Unlike her best friend Naru, she would never meet the love of her life, continue to reside in her village with her family and friends, and to die there along with the rest of the villagers which she regarded as one big family...

The thought shattered her heart into tiny pieces.

"I-I can't stop..." she sobbed as the numbers of tears gradually increased in time. She did not bother to wipe them away. Instead, she gathered a handful of water from the sink in order to rinse her face with it. The refreshing sensation of the cool liquid made her feel a little better so she repeated the procedure once more until she managed to calm down.

Usagi walked back into her room and plopped down on her bed. She released a long sigh, feeling exhausted from the argument earlier. Staring down at her lap, she began to fiddle with the dress of her kimono. Although she did not want to have Endymion in her head, the thoughts which centered around him intruded her mind anyways.

She wondered if he would summon her presence, forcing her to face him again very soon. Usagi paled at the thought. She wanted to distance herself from her husband-to-be for awhile. She did not like how he seemed to not show any remorse about her village's state, about how people were dying this very moment. She wondered if someone could be truly heartless...

_But what he said was true, _the small voice in her head reprimanded her. The voice continued to speak, much to her disliking. _Our fellow villagers pollute the water; we do not care about the fish, the wolves, anything. As long as our small community's' well-beings are safe, we do not care._

"That's not true," whispered Usagi, refusing to be persuaded. "Our village consists of kind people; they're not cruel."

_Believe what you want to believe in,_ the voice replied. _But if you think _he _is heartless, then what do you_ _consider _yourself_? Perhaps he thinks you are bothersome, always arguing with him and all..._

Allowing her body to freely fall onto the covers, Usagi tightly closed her eyes shut while attempting to block out the voice in her head. For reasons unknown, she suddenly felt troubled as her body stilled. She did not know what to believe in anymore, or what she wanted to believe in. Naive as she was, she never looked at situation from Endymion's perspective until now. Gods, what if her inner conscience was right? What if she's only seen as some kind of a pest? She hoped not.

Usagi had accepted the fact that she would possibly never come to love her husband-to-be when she was notified that she was to be sacrificed for the good of her village; she would respect his decision if the same applied to her as well. What they shared was a loveless engagement, after all. Never in her bewilderment dreams would she ever have thought she would be where she was now. Her childhood dream consisted of marrying a villager she would fall passionately in love with, and live close to her family and have children who she would absolutely adore.

But she might as well forget about those dreams. They will never happen anyways, not with her current circumstance that is. All Usagi could do right now was to hope for the best, and try her best to get along with the Water God although it was failing horribly since they would mainly argue with one another. Their arguments always consisted of her sensitivity and his harsh choice of words. But in the end, they've always managed to resolve their disagreements and enjoyed each other's company afterwards.

_Can we resolve our argument this time? _She questioned, feeling grim while she did so. Unlike their previous ones, this one consisted of a sensitive subject: her home, her village.

Usagi sighed. She closed her eyes as she allowed herself to be engulfed by sleep just so she could escape her reality. The desire to see her family and friends were overwhelming as she did not notice the tears streaking down her cheeks once more. She was already asleep.

oOo

It has been two days since their argument and never once did Endymion summon her. She had not encountered him during the times she would eat as well since she made a request to Luna that she would only come out to eat after the water deity has finished. She believed that if she ate before him, it would be considered a great offense. So during the times when she was famished and her stomach was painfully protesting loudly, Usagi would remain inside her room until Luna would come knocking at her door to inform that Endymion returned to his room or his duties. She would only leave her room if he was at a far enough distance from the dining room.

She knew she was acting cowardly, but she couldn't help it. The thought of facing Endymion frightened her as she did not want to see the look of anger, disappointment, nor sadness across his features.

Maybe this time, things were going to be different. Maybe this time, she and Endymion would not make up from their argument and their relationship was going to remain sour. Usagi didn't want that. She was unable to explain the reason why, but one thing was certain: she wanted to fix their relationship.

"It's probably because I can't stand this tension between us..." mumbled the blond as she tied the knot of her obi. She had finished getting dressed into a plain lime-green kimono, preparing herself for the start of a new day.

Usagi was just finishing up on her last hair-bun when the sound of knocking came from her door. Immediately, she knew it was Luna who stood behind it; no one other than her and Minako would come and seek her company. But the Goddess of Love would rather barge into her room as she used the excuse that the two of them were close to an extent for her to do so.

"Luna?" Usagi called out to the door, waiting for a response.

For a moment, she had a quick flash of fear where it possibly could be Endymion who was standing on the other side of the door instead of the navy-haired woman. It had been awhile since they have last seen one another, anyways. But she was rest assured when it was Luna's voice she heard instead.

"He is on his way to the gardens, Usagi-san."

The blond opened the door only to close it behind her when she exited her room. She placed a hand on top of her chest and released a relieved sigh. "Thank you, Luna."

Luna's smile was very faint. Usagi was unsure if she had made things uncomfortable between the older woman and the water deity from her request, but she showed no signs of it.

"It is my duty to serve you, Usagi-san."

Usagi nodded and started to walk towards the dining room when she noticed that Luna remained at where she stood, not moving from her position at her bedroom door. Confused of why the other woman was not coming along, she asked the reason why. "Aren't you going to eat, too, Luna?"

The navy-haired woman gently shook her head. "No, not today, Usagi-san. I shall eat later on when I finish tending to the guests of the palace. Endymion-sama would be pleased to know that they are being cared for to a great extent."

"Oh, I see..."

A knowing smile slowly tugged on the older woman's lips. She gently notified the younger girl of the water deity's whereabouts. "He is occupying his time with the preparation of the Lunar Ball, if you wanted to know."

Usagi wasn't fazed by the answer since that was the only thing Endymion has been doing for the past few days now, but she wondered if Luna knew that she wanted to inquire about her husband-to-be's well-being. But Luna gave nothing away so she dismissed the possibility.

No, there was just no way... and it wasn't as if Luna could read her mind or anything of that sort, right?

Luna placed her hands on her back and gently began to steer her away from her bedroom. Smiling, she suggested, "You should be hungry, Usagi-san. Food should be prepared for you by now, so you should go and eat. We would not want you to pass out from fatigue, now do we?"

"Okay," replied Usagi, returning the smile with a small one of her own. "Thank you, Luna." Then she set off on her own to head towards the dining room, where her stomach was growling with satisfaction as it was appealed at the thought of receiving food. And although her stomach was ecstatic, she, however, could not feel the same. Her shoulders felt heavy as her situation was lugging her down as she was unable to suppress a small frown.

_Although I'm scared, I want to see Endymion,_ Usagi thought wistfully.

She knew she had over reacted to his harsh yet correct statements. But at the moment, she wanted nothing more than to get over this argument already; she wanted to make up and talk to him again, enjoy his company. And she could not think of the reason why, either.

His logic reasoning of why he had not bestowed rain upon her village was cruel, but she could not help but to hope that he would overlook it just once and save her village... Usagi did not want anyone else to die from hunger. The thought of a small child dying in a slow yet painful death frightened her, but... she could not think badly of him. Truly.

_I want to see him soon, so I can -_

Usagi's thoughts were cut short when she had collided into someone, instinctively closing her eyes shut, waiting for the inevitable of ending up on the floor. But that never happened because of the person's fast reflexes as they grabbed a steady hold of her arm and waist, keeping her in place. When she opened one of her eyes to sneak a peek at her saviour, she gasped.

"Seiya-kun?"

The Kinmokusei guardian grinned when he realized who he had run into. "The one and only," he replied before releasing her once she corrected her stance. "Which direction were you heading towards to, Odango?"

Usagi was about to answer, but however, her stomach had beaten her to it when it growled audibly. Her cheeks flushed in embarrassment while Seiya chortled.

"Ah, the dining room I am presuming."

The blond nodded, diverting her eyes away from his. She was still embarrassed as she was unable to look at her friend's grinning face. "Yeah..."

Seiya chuckled at her obvious behavior. Soon after, the sound died down when he gently inquired, "I heard you have been acting on the downside lately, Odango. Yaten mentioned it when he caught glimpses of you. Are you alright?"

"Yeah," Usagi answered him. It was noticeable that the tone of her voice changed, but she hoped the Kinmokusei guardian did not notice it. But he did since he frowned at her reply. "I'm fine, really!" she insisted, hoping that she was able to convince him.

"If you say you are fine, then you must be. I believe you," Seiya said as he gave her a small grin, making her feel guilty for lying to him. He, however, did not seem to be bothered by the fact as much as he was since he had changed the topic considerably quick. "Odango, is your evening occupied tonight?"

She shaked her head. "No, it's not-"

"Great!" exclaimed Seiya, cutting her off because of his excitement. "Make sure it stays that way, Odango. I will come and pick you up at your room when the sun begins to set, alright?"

"Are we doing something, Seiya?" she asked.

"Yes," Seiya answered, and noticing the confused look on the blonds' face, he quickly added, "It is a surprise - you will see soon enough."

Usagi blinked, still confused. "Oh... okay?"

"I will come for you when the sun begins to set, Odango," said Seiya as he began to take his leave. He gave her a small wave and a wink before he disappeared in a blue flash of light.

She couldn't help but to wonder how the two of them would spend their evening together, but she welcomed his company nonetheless. Usagi's current state was desperate for any distraction, and moreover, she was looking forward to tonight.

oOo

A white kimono with thin pink cherry blossom branches and a bright red obi was what Usagi had chosen out to wear from her wardrobe. She decorated her hair with hair clips of small cherry blossoms and was pleased with how they looked when she stared at her reflection from her bathroom mirror.

"I wonder if this outfit will match with the activity Seiya has planned out for us," Usagi mused, smiling.

She had not dined her evening meal, incase the Kinmokusei guardian planned to go for a meal with her. Her stomach protested the idea, but she suppressed its wails. Other than their previous and short encounters, Usagi never really came across Seiya's path. So she wanted to have fun tonight while she enjoyed his company, welcoming the change of another's presence other than Luna and Minako's regular ones.

Her window showed of the sun setting, and true to his word, Seiya knocked on her door a moment later. Usagi answered it and was surprised to see that for the first time, the Kinmokusei guardian wore something else than his usual dark attire. He was wearing a scarlet red loose kimono, giving him an appearance of a civilian.

"Are you ready, Odango?" Seiya held out his arm for her to take, which she did. She smiled.

"Yeah," she answered. She cocked her head to the side when she asked, "What did you plan for us to do, Seiya-kun?"

"I decided on visiting Terra's village market with you," answered Seiya as he escorted her out of the palace. Surprisingly, there was hardly anyone in sight; everyone was just too busy preparing for the Lunar Ball that there weren't any guards standing by their posts in sight. "I made a promise that I would take you somewhere exciting after all, have I not?"

Usagi nodded, remembering the time when Seiya had used the excuse in order to save her from Diamond's company.

"And since the Lunar Ball is arriving, it should be livelier than usual. It should be fun," Seiya added.

oOo

The village market was crowded as there was a wide range of diversity of races within the crowd and the objects the merchants were selling. Usagi saw a man who bore a similar appearance to a dolphin, a group of young girls covered with tree branches and flowers, and she even saw a tall man spouting small amounts of lava from the top of his head! She did not have the time to react as Seiya served as her guide, showing her ten different things within a minute.

"Oh! What are those?" asked Usagi as she eagerly approached a booth with an enormous water tank. Inside, there were jelly-like creatures flurrying within the water, glowing in different colors.

The booth's merchant smiled as he appeared to be proud of his merchandise. "They are called water nao, young lady. They have the ability to express and detect emotions; the different color corresponds to what they are feeling."

Usagi stared at the creatures in awe. "That's amazing!"

"You should give them a try," Seiya suggested as he walked over to the booth as well. He asked the merchant, "It is possible, is it not?"

The merchant nodded his head. "Of course, of course," he dipped in his large hand and scooped out a single water nao and held his hand out for Usagi to accept it. She did and stared down at it, amazed at how soft it was. It felt like a jellyfish, but it was a lot smoother. The creature in her hands turned yellow in color.

"You must be happy right now, young lady," the merchant said. "The water nao indicates it so by the color it emitted from you; yellow represents happiness."

Usagi giggled. "I believe it's telling the truth, sir," she responded as she looked towards Seiya's direction, feeling grateful that he decided to take her out this evening. "I do feel happy right now." She was so engrossed with the water nao that she did not take notice of the Kinmokusei guardian's absence. But when she did, she panicked as she was unable to spot him anywhere.

"Seiya-kun?" she called out nervously.

The merchant smiled as he assured her, "Do not worry, young lady. I believe he said something about getting something to eat, so I am sure he will be back shortly by your side. But in the meantime, you should go and explore other booths. Perhaps you will find something of your interest."

Her nerves faded away from the merchant's words. She smiled in appreciation as she thanked him before wandering off on her own. She saw several of booths and although they intrigued her to check out every single one of them, she didn't since a big yet dark red one with curtains all over this one booth attracted all of her attention. As she got closer, Usagi realized it was a fortune telling booth. The Mystic inside was reading off people's future through palm reading.

Usagi decided to visit the Mystic as she stood in the line. The line moved pretty quickly since the majority of the girls left quickly in the middle of their reading, crying as they claimed they did not want their futures to be read any further. Discouraged, some girls left their spots in the line but Usagi remained standing. She was curious of why it caused the girls to cry, although she felt nervous at the same time.

"Come in," a hoarse voice drawled from behind the velvet curtains.

She realized that it was her turn to have her palm read and scurried inside the booth. Usagi noticed the voice belonged to a woman who was probably in her sixties but she was unsure since she wore a black eye-patch on her right side. Her grey hair was held by a small white ribbon as she wore the clothes that would belong to a priestess.

"Sit down, child," instructed the older woman as she gestured to the chair across from her. The blond took her seat and shortly after, the older woman held her hand out. She placed her hand on top of hers before it was flipped over to the other side, being inspected carefully as she waited to have her future foretold.

The Mystic hummed thoughtfully as the wrinkles on her forehead crinkled. "Difficult indeed," she lifted up the blonds' hand as she turned it in several different angles to get a better look. "I see three roads which your future could take. It is difficult to determine which one, as your feelings would be greatly involved. I see... three figures."

"Three figures?" repeated Usagi, confused as she was unsure of what the Mystic was trying to tell her.

"No, no. Three men, yes. I see three men in your life who would influence your future greatly," the Mystic corrected as she pressed her finger on the dominant lines of the blonds' palm. "Yes, the decision you will make in the near future will determine how you would spend the remainder of your life."

"Oh," Usagi mumbled, feeling even more confused. "Am I going to make the correct decision in the future then?"

The Mystic clucked her tongue as she shaked her head. "I cannot tell you that, child. Your future is yours to determine; I cannot tell you whether you will make the correct decision or not, but I can tell you that you should make the best one when the time comes."

Usagi held in a sigh. She knew her time at the booth was over when the Mystic released her hand and gave her a small wave, dismissing her. She thanked the older woman for her time and when she exited the booth, she was left more confused than ever about her future. Pondering at the Mystics' words, she questioned whether the three male in her life would mean that she would fall in love three times.

Gods, she hoped not. It was difficult to picture the possibility of falling in love with two people, but a third? Usagi buried her face with her hands at the vivid thought.

"Odango, there you are!" Seiya's voice caught her attention as she lowered her hands so she was able to see him. He had a boiled fish-cake stick in each of his hands and when he closed in the distance between the two of them, he held one out for her to take. "I got you some odang, so enjoy it while it is still hot!"

"Thank you, Seiya-kun," the blond accepted her fish-cake stick and nibbled at it before she exclaimed, "Whoa! This is really yummy!" She took bigger bites of her snack while the Kinmokusei guardian laughed.

"I know, there was a long line up for them," he informed her as he took bites of his own fish-cakes in between. "I apologize for taking so long; I hope you were not bored without my pleasurable company."

Usagi mockingly rolled her eyes while she felt a smile tugging at the corner of her lips. "I was dreadfully lonely without you, Seiya-kun," she joked.

Seiya ruffled one of her hair buns which the blond loudly protested at. "I knew you would be, Odango," he said in a joking tone. He then turned his head sideways and asked if there was anything else she wanted to look at.

The blond shaked her head. "No, not really. Do you?"

The Kinmokusei guardian repeated her actions. "No, shall we head back to the palace then? Endymion-sama is probably wondering where you are, since you are one of his guests," he suggested. He did not fail to notice how her face faltered at his words. "What concerns you, Odango?"

"Nothing!" squeaked Usagi as she picked up her walking pace. She could soon see the outline of the palace as they walked towards its direction. "Absolutely nothing at all, Seiya-kun."

"Are you certain?" Seiya asked. He noticed that she looked everywhere else except his direction, a clear sign that she was lying. But decided not to persist on the topic since he did not want to make her feel uncomfortable. Instead, he changed the subject a moment later as they entered the palace. "We have arrived in the palace now, Odango. Do you want me to escort you back to your room?"

Usagi hastily nodded her head. She had never enjoyed walking alone in the dark because she was afraid of it. "Yes, please."

The two of them continued to walk along the same path in a comfortable silence. Soon enough, the two of them arrived in front of her bedroom door. Usagi turned to Seiya and smiled. "Thank you for today, I really needed it."

Seiya grinned. "You're welcome, Odango. I am glad that you are starting to smile more often now just like you did this evening," he replied as he dug one of his hands into the folds of his kimono in order to retrieve something. Few seconds later, he fished out a rose colored comb and gave it to her. "I bought this for you while I went off to purchase some odangs. A memento of today, I guess you could call it."

Usagi stared down at the pretty comb in her hands. It had trails of rose petals along its sides with a large rose at its centre. "Thank you, Seiya-kun," she looked up to meet his eyes, blushing while she did so. "Really, you do so much for me..."

"It is because I have been told that my company is intolerable," Seiya replied with a smirk. "Yaten said it, actually. And besides, it really is no big deal. I did ask for your time unexpectedly, after all. Sorry if I troubled you, Odango."

"No, you haven't troubled me at all," Usagi said softly as her eyes glassed with appreciation. "I really do like your gift."

Seiya smiled. "I am glad then," he said as he turned to take his leave. "Perhaps the next time we will encounter each other is at the Lunar Ball; I will be occupied as I am expected to be present at Kakyuu-hime's side until then."

Usagi nodded in understanding before the Kinmokusei disappeared from her sight. She then turned towards her bedroom door and before she opened the door, she saw a silhouette forming from fluid behind her. The sound of angry swooshing came along with the presence of the one who controlled the element of water, Endymion. Her body stiffened instantly when she saw his complete silhouette behind her. She was uncertain if she should feel happy or scared to be graced with his company so suddenly.

Each of his large hands settled on her shoulders, swiftly turning her body around so she would face him. He looked absolutely livid as his eyes were darkened in the shadows, his lips wearing a deep frown.

"Were you spending your entire day with that Kinmokusei guardian?" he demanded angrily. When she did not answer him, he shook her shoulders. "Answer me!"

Usagi pursed her lips. "Who I choose to spend my day with is none of your business, Endymion-sama," she told him as she shook his hands off of her shoulders. She turned her body around to place her hand on her door knob once more. "I don't even know the reason why you've come tonight in the first place, but I think it's the best if you leave. Especially with your current state of emotions as it will do the both of us no good."

"Goddammit," cursed the water deity as he fisted the wall beside her door, caging her in between her door and his body. "Stop being difficult."

"I... I can't-" She was cut off when her chin was forced upwards in order to meet his lips while his other hand held her in place by wrapping it around her waist.

He had the upper hand of the situation since he was taller, much stronger than she was. So he controlled her body by pressing her closer to him while he bruised her lips in a punishing matter as he did not allow her to breathe for a long period of time. He only released her when her arms were moving in a frantic matter, trying to dislodge him from her body.

Usagi gasped as she inhaled the maximum amount of oxygen her body could take in. She glared at the Water God as she demanded, "What was that for? You could've killed me!"

Endymion did not appear to be apologetic by his actions. Instead of answering her question, his eyes went down to the comb in her hands. He coolly stated, "When one gives a comb to another as a gift, it symbolizes a marriage proposal."

She sighed exasperatedly. "It's just a souvenir from the village market, Endymion-sama," Usagi chided him for taking things too personally. "Really, it doesn't mean anything... I think." She blushed at the idea if Seiya had purposely chosen out a comb for her memento, implying a deeper meaning behind it. Endymion, however, did not seem to share the same thoughts as she did.

He strengthened his grip on her tighter now, and Usagi stiffened at the proximity between them. Endymion placed his lips beside her ear and whispered, "I will never let another take what is mine,"

Usagi did not get the chance to respond as her head was turned by one of his hands, where he closed the distance between them once more as his lips met hers. This time, he treated her in a softer manner. She could feel her pulse quickening as she could hear her heart beat thudding loud against her ears. Resignedly, Usagi closed her eyes.

_My heart's beating fast because the whole situation caught me off guard,_ she told herself as she was engulfed by new sensations she had never experienced before.

* * *

**AN:** For some reason, this chapter took an amazing long time to write x-x; I hope you enjoyed it! :) I hope the next update will be up within a month and I'll start developing the romance between Usagi and Mamoru in the later chapters. It's slow, but it's getting there :D


	7. Chapter VII

**AN:** I've been getting numerous of reviews about the confusion of the last chapter, and it's normal I suppose :) And I've noticed that some people just wanted to know what happened to the other sacrifices already, but all I can say is: enjoy the story for the time being. It'll all come together in the end, and _that_ is the turning point of my story so I don't want to rush it and make it happen the next chapter or anything. But so far, by planning, it seems to be around Chapter X/XI? So three/four more chapters, I believe. This is a short story, after all. Although I think I might have to add chapters if I cannot finish this story by fifteen chapters... But I certainly hope not.

Also, I've received some questions about the comb and marriage proposal. Yes, the comb does represent a marriage proposal as it also represents a long lasting marriage if the bride's hair is combed, known as _Shang Tou_ in a Chinese tradition.

**LGCoffeeAddict**: Yes, the eventual pairing of this story will be Usagi and Endymion :) But as stated from the summary, there will be a little... obstacle for the time being.

**Sakura Ichigo Morihiko**: Hahah oh my, I did not expect to read that in your review at all! Diamond and sex? Hmmm :) And sorry, but Usagi won't be ending up with Seiya in this story - it'll be Endymion.

Summary: Many beautiful women were offered to the Water God in order to please him so he would allow rain to fall from the sky. But when it was Tsukino Usagi's turn to be sacrificed, she discovered things get quite complicated when she falls in love with another.

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_The Sacrifice_

Chapter VII

* * *

Tsukino Usagi was confused.

She was very, very confused. She was unable to grasp what had recently happened, the recent turn of her life that had just taken place.

Ever since the night before, her head was straining as she tried to comprehend the reason behind Endymion's sudden yet forward actions. He was a bamboozling man, that Endymion. He kissed her, leaving her breathless afterwards, later on the same day after their heated argument: he did not make any sense to her. Usagi was inquisitive whether he only kissed her because he knew of her and Seiya's small get-together at the night market, or he wanted to make up from their argument but the timing was inconvenient.

She did not know the reason why, but she hoped that it was the latter. It was hard, trying to picture a stoic man such as Endymion to be capable of jealousy. And to develop such a feeling over the Kinmokusei guardian's small gift was beyond incomprehensible, at least in her opinion.

But if that was the case, then why was he jealous? It was not as if the man _loved _her or anything. They do not stare at one another with lovey-dovey eyes, nor look forward to their next encounter occasionally!

And he declared that she belonged to him, but did she really? The Water God did not provide her village with even a drop of rain ever since she had arrived in Terra, breaking the tradition. So if that was not to be the case, then why was she still here? Did she have to remain in Terra, or was she allowed to return to her village?

_No, that is very unlikely_, she told herself, scolding herself for having a small glimmer of hope. He made it perfectly clear that her future resided the place beside his, as his wife. But still, that memorable yet quick time they had spent the night before did not resolve their conflict. Usagi was still uncertain of where they stood in this situation; were they alright, or were they expected to be mad at one another? She truly could not decide.

Her attention, however, was drawn away from her train of thoughts when she saw the Goddess of Love chasing after the shortest member of the Kinmokusei guardian, pestering him to be her escort for the upcoming Lunar Ball.

Yaten was nearly out of her running distance when Usagi approached the other blond, who was merrily yelling after him. "Do not forget to visit my room before we head down to the ballroom by our linked arms, Yaten-kun! I shall see you next in a few days' time!" It was only until the silver haired man joined his princess and companions that Minako seemed to notice her presence. She appeared to be surprised yet joyful at the same time to see her.

"Oh, Usagi-chan! Forgive me, I did not take notice of your presence until now," Minako apologized.

Usagi shook her head. "No, it's fine, Minako-chan," she said, a mischievous sparkle in her eyes. "I'm sure you were too occupied seeking your escort for the Lunar Ball."

Minako gave out a nervous laugh, her cheeks coloring a little. "Oh, perhaps so. I am uncertain if we even are attending the ball with one another. He had not given me a proper response, you see."

"Yeah, I suppose so. He kind of... dashed away," Usagi agreed, teasing her friend a little.

"He so did not! He merely had matters to attend to," defended Minako, embarrassed at how the situation looked to her friend and other possible speculators. "I am certain Kakyuu-hime called for his presence by her side."

Usagi smiled although she gave the Goddess of Love a knowing look. "My apologies."

Suddenly, the Goddess of Love giggled. The small tension between them was broken as the older blond did not feel even a slight bit awkward near the other girl. Smiling, Minako asked, "Are you excited for the Lunar Ball, Usagi-chan? It is coming up so quickly! Time, however, seemed to go by dreary slow if I must say so myself. Maybe it is because everyone is deeply anticipating for its arrival for awhile now."

"Of course," agreed Usagi, nodding. "And yeah, I'm excited. It's my first time to experience this spectacular event that everyone has been buzzing about!"

Placing a hand on the younger girl's arm, Minako assured, "Well, you are in for quite a treat. This is the event where everyone gets hyped up for, as well as it is the most romantic event of the year despite its tragedy behind it."

Usagi's smile faltered a bit, remembering that this event was created behind her future husband and his deceased wife's love story. Of how they had first encountered one another before they had passionately fallen in love. His first love, his first wife.

"Are you feeling alright, Usagi-chan?" Minako asked as she noticed her friend's change of mood. As the Goddess of Love, she knew the reason why Usagi was no longer cheery as she was a moment ago, but she did not specify her question. She did not want to make the younger girl feel discomfited, after all.

Usagi's false smile did not deceive the Goddess of Love. "Yeah, I'm fine," she replied, trying to sound nonchalant.

One of Minako's eyebrows rose as she doubted her, but she did not pursue the subject. Instead, she changed it to her friend's current love situation. "So, I have heard of the quarrel between you and Endymion-sama. How are you faring? Have you guys resolved the conflict?"

"I'm not sure of what's going on at the moment," admitted Usagi, her eyebrows knitting with one another as she expressed her confusion. "But... I guess he's not mad at me if he was waiting for me in front of my bedroom last night."

Minako's eyes flashed brightly with excitement. "Ooh, really now?" she inquired, leaning in towards the younger girl as she had all of her undivided attention at the moment, wanting to get the inside scoop of the interesting story. "I bet something happened then, Usagi-chan, and hopefully something good."

Usagi sighed. "He was absolutely livid in the beginning when he first made his appearance," she told the Goddess of Love. "I'm uncertain whether it was from our argument earlier on from that day, or discovering the fact that I had gone to the Terranian village market with Seiya that had brought out his pessimistic emotions."

"Perhaps it is both," mused Minako, causing the human girl in front of her to sigh once more. "Who knew the God of Water could be capable of feeling an emotion that is known as jealousy?"

"I doubt it, Minako-chan," Usagi gave her an incredulous look. "The relationship between Endymion-sama and I is not love, nor is it friendship. It's... it's confusing. It's too confusing that I can't even come up a word for it!"

Minako did not offer any comments on her friend's perplexed relationship status. "So continue on from what you were saying," she instructed the human girl. "He was displeased with you from the start, then what happened?"

The younger girl frowned. "He said that he would not allow another take what is his before kissing me senseless. I don't like how he made me sound like I am his possession, Minako-chan."

"Oh, _now_ I am certain that jealousy had been present during that time, Usagi-chan," stated Minako, earning herself a tentative stare from the other girl. Dismissing it, she continued, "It is in every male's nature that he feels a certain level of possessiveness for his female. Endymion-sama is not any different from the rest."

"But... doesn't he..." Usagi's words trailed off, deciding at the last minute to not pursue with her question. She wanted to know whether Endymion was still mourning after the deceased Moon Goddess. And if so, then what was he doing, insisting that she belonged to him?

Minako blinked. "What is it that you were going to ask, Usagi-chan?" she asked.

The human girl shook her head. "It's nothing, Minako-chan," she strained a smile, hoping that she would be able to convince the Goddess of Love. "It's nothing of importance."

"I certainly do hope you will start to confide more in me, Usagi-chan. As I would return the gesture."

Usagi immediately felt guilty. She had not meant to sadden her friend, but what she asked of her seemed hazy at the moment; there was no one she completely trusted in Terra. At least, not yet. She fiddled with her fingers, staring down at them as she spoke, "I will certainly try, Minako-chan."

"I am glad," Minako smiled, sounding relieved yet pleased. She placed her hand on top of Usagi's, hoping to calm her nerves. The younger girl's eyes snapped up to meet hers, appearing indecisive. "And for the situation between Endymion-sama and yourself, I would say that the both of you are heading towards a peaceful path. I believe that if he desired to continue on with his hostility towards you, then he would not have approached you the night before."

A faint smile graced itself upon Usagi's lips. "I certainly hope so, Minako-chan. I appreciate for taking your time to endure all of this, listening to my troubles. It must get annoying at times."

Minako rested her arm around Usagi's shoulders, giving her a wink as she leaned in close. "What are friends for, Usagi-chan?" Unexpectedly, the blond Goddess' attention was caught from the ornament within her friend's kimono sleeves. It was a rose colored comb.

Usagi followed the direction where her friend had rested her eyes, only to discover that it was the comb which Seiya had given her the night before. She only decided to carry it around with her because it was the first gift she had ever received (aside from the long arrangement of kimonos and numerous of accessories from Endymion) ever since she had been in Terra. To her, it was a token of a precious friendship. However, Endymion accused of Seiya's motives and how the comb symbolized a marriage proposal. She thought that was preposterous since she had not known Seiya for a very long time; she viewed him as a very good friend.

"Oh..."

"That is a lovely comb, Usagi-chan," Minako sighed dreamily before she questioned, "Was it Endymion-sama who had presented it upon you? I surely would have never taken him as a romantic! To openly suggest a marriage proposal although the two of you are expected to be wed soon!"

Taking out the comb from her sleeves, Usagi softly said, "This isn't from Endymion-sama, but rather it's from a precious friend."

"Oh," Minako said bluntly. "Well, I certainly hope your friend knew what they were doing when they presented you with a comb, Usagi-chan. This warning applies only if that friend of yours is a male though."

Usagi looked away, choosing not to say anything that would give the answer away.

The Goddess of Love plopped her face on her elbow, casually asking, "Well then, let us change the route of our conversation. Is Endymion-sama escorting you to the Lunar Ball? Oh, it would be very romantic if the two of you were to dance all night! Both of you, dancing in the centre of the ballroom, oh... I could just visual it in my head now."

"I'm not sure, Minako-chan," answered the younger girl. "I've mentioned our current situation to you, and at the moment, I'm not sure if he's even willing to consider me as an option." Usagi heard the laughter which belonged to the Kinmokusei princess. She saw, within her peripheral vision, the red princess along with her three guardians.

_Would I get to dance with other people as well_? Usagi could not help but to wonder as her eyes followed the dark haired Kinmokusei guardian.

Minako noticed that the human girl's state of mind drifted away from the conversation as she stared at the direction of a small group of people. She chose not to say anything further into the subject of Endymion, although she casted a worried glance towards her direction. "I see. If you seek assistance for the preparation of the Lunar Ball, you are more than welcome to come for me."

"Thank you, Minako-chan," Usagi gave her an appreciative smile. "I'll certainly seek for your assistance as I will very much need it."

The Goddess of Love returned the smile as her own eyes chased after the distant figure of her current mild love interest, silently plotting of which methods she would need to use to lure the silver haired Kinmokusei guardian into accepting her offer as her escort.

oOo

After her conversation with the Goddess of Love, Usagi was heading towards the dining room to help herself to breakfast. She walked silently among the quiet corridors, nodding her head as she acknowledged the presence of the servant girls. They were so friendly despite their stressful jobs nowadays, preparing for the big celebration. And soon, it was quiet once more. She was the only one that was walking in the long hallway, whereas her soft footsteps were the only sound that could be heard.

But soon enough, the sounds of her footing was joined by a chatter of voices which was increasing in volume. The group of people was coming closer; there were three people. Endymion was joined by Artemis and Luna, conversing about their realm's politics and what was expected at the Lunar Ball. They hoped for successful alliance formed and to be strengthened at the event, along with people enjoying themselves immensely.

Luna was the first one of the three to spot her, who was slowly approaching them. The navy haired woman smiled as she acknowledged her presence. "Oh, Usagi-san, what a pleasant surprise! Were you heading towards the direction of the dining room?"

Usagi nodded, feeling a bit timorous under Endymion's stare. "Yes, I was," she answered before politely returning the gesture. "How are you, Luna? Artemis and Endymion-sama?"

"Fine, thank you," replied Artemis.

The blond then allowed her eyes to wander to Endymion's face, only finding herself to be bemused when she did so. The man appeared to be calm, yet guarded at the same time. Usagi wanted to ask him whether he was still discontented with her since they had not resolved their conflict, but she felt it was quite improper to do so in front of Luna and Artemis' presence. She quietly decided that she will question him later when she finds the opportunity for them to be alone once more.

Endymion turned his head, making eye-contact with the blond. He informed her, "Today and the day after is the last day you shall eat without accompanying me as my day is occupied with the preparation of the Lunar Ball and getting acquainted with the guests of Terra."

"Oh... okay," Usagi blinked in confusion, caught off-guard. However, a small part of her was secretly pleased to discover that he was not entirely mad at her.

"Luna shall inform you of what is to be expected of you at the event," added Endymion, nodding his head to the navy haired woman who walked over to the blonds' side. "She will also aid you in your dressing as well."

"Thank you, Endymion-sama," said Usagi before turning to the woman beside her. "And thank you as well, Luna."

Luna smiled while Endymion did not say anything. "It is my pleasure to assist you, Usagi-san."

The Water God's advisor turned to the older woman and said, "We shall part for now, Luna. I will be thoroughly going through the guest list with Endymion-sama and see what can be improved of our planning at this time while you leave with Usagi-san and inform her of her duties at the Lunar Ball."

"I understand, Artemis."

Without any more words left unspoken, the two males departed to get going on their obligations, leaving the two female alone. Once they were out of their sight, Luna turned to Usagi and suggested, "Usagi-chan, how about I go through some of the regulations of the Lunar Ball while we head towards the dining room? I bet you are ravenous."

Usagi nodded in response, walking beside the older woman. Luna looked up towards the ceiling before she spoke. "First of all, Usagi-chan, your role at the Lunar Ball is unique compared to the guests of Terra."

"Unique?" the human girl repeated, sounding hesitant.

"Yes, unique." Luna confirmed before easing into a gentle smile. "Let us continue to walk with peace in our minds, so do not worry. It is nothing horrendous, I promise you. Your role differs only because you are to soon marry the host of this event."

When Usagi did not say anything, Luna assumed she was absorbing in the knowledge so she continued to go on, informing the younger girl of what she was to expect in a few days' time. "It really is not that difficult, what you are expected to do. All you have to do is to enter the ballroom at Endymion-sama's side and appear to be enjoying yourself for the first two hours throughout the feast before he is expected to make an announcement, welcoming his guests. The purpose of this is incase people will be able to recognize him upon entry, and it they should, then you are expected to be at his side since people are well aware of the fact that the two of you are soon to marry.

"Afterwards, you are to share the first dance with him before you are relieved of your duty of remaining at his side. It is during this time that you are free to wander and do whatever you wish. Unless Endymion-sama requests for your presence, of course."

"Oh, I see."

Usagi thought the terms were pretty reasonable as they were not very demanding either. How hard could it be to remain at her husband-to-be's side for a few hours' time? She crossed her fingers behind her back, hoping that the two of them will be civil and will enjoyably converse with one another by then.

"So you understand of what is expected of you then?" asked Luna, looking a bit concerned.

The blond nodded, assuring the older woman. "Yeah, I'll be fine, Luna. I promise that I won't mess anything up, or at least I will try my very best not to. I would not like to tarnish Endymion-sama's image in front of his guests' eyes."

Luna let out a soft sigh of relief before blinking several of times. "Oh! How silly of me to forget," she began as her hand dived into the sleeves of lemon colored kimono, retrieving a white mask with red and pink decorations on it. It resembled a white rabbit. "Since you know that back in the old days that the pair of lovers wore masks whenever they had their rendezvous, everyone is expected to wear a mask as well. Endymion-sama specifically had chosen this mask to land into your possession, Usagi-chan."

"It's very cute, Luna," commented Usagi, accepting the mask as she admired it.

"I am pleased to hear that, Usagi-san. Endymion-sama would be too, I am certain, if he were present as well."

Usagi's cheeks had uncontrollably turned a faint shade of pink from the older woman's words although she was uncertain of the reason why. Before she had the opportunity to question about what Luna had meant with her words, a servant girl hesitantly approached the pair.

"Ah... Luna-san, the ruler of Mercurius requires your service. Apparently, he is having trouble locating his belongings since his arrival this morning." informed the servant girl, curtseying as she did so.

Luna nodded, understanding. "I understand. I thank you for the message; I shall head for his room immediately to serve him whereas I am needed."

The servant girl fled from the scene after she had finished her duty of delivering the message. Luna turned to Usagi and told her while shooting her an apologetic look, "This is where I have to leave you, Usagi-san. I hope that you get the gist of what is to come at the Lunar Ball. However, if you need anything else, do not hesitate to seek me out. Just call for me, and I shall come to you."

Usagi knew that Luna was true to her word since she had first materialized when Endymion threatened to take her life, viewing her as a threat at the time. Wordlessly, she nodded before watching the other woman disappearing after she took a turn in the hallway, leaving her alone to walk towards the dining room alone.

oOo

It was when Usagi was chewing on her rice that she had realized that Luna did not mention what sort of attire she was required to wear for the Lunar Ball. Sure, she knew of her responsibilities, but how was she to present herself? She began to stress over the matter, thoroughly debating whether she should summon Luna or not. But in the end, she had chosen not to. The woman had many duties to tend to as she would expect Luna's current schedules must be chaotic at the moment with so many guests residing in the palace for the time being.

Although Luna's time was heavily occupied with her engagements, Usagi hoped that she would have the chance to bump into her once more to ask whether she should wear one of her kimonos stored away in her closet or would she be given a new kimono for the event.

_Or you could always seek Minako out_, a brilliant suggestion came to her mind.

Usagi smiled then, starting to relax. She quickly finished the remaining among of stew and rice for her breakfast before thanking the servant girl for accompanying and fetching her food. Afterwards, she left the dining room to go locate the Goddess of Love.

However, she did not have to go far before she was graced upon another's company. She was walking in a hurried pace when Usagi noticed that someone was materializing right in front of her. Not wanting to knock them and herself over, she somehow managed to skid to a hasty stop without falling flat on her face with her usual klutziness.

A second later, the God of Ice stood in front of her, all dressed in white. He did not smile upon his arrival nor did he sound pleasant to see her when he greeted her as he spoke with an accusing tone.

"You have been avoiding me."

Color drained from Usagi's face as what she dreaded to come had finally arrived. She had not been anticipating for Diamond's arrival as she would avoid the Old Palace as if it was cursed. She quickly recomposed herself, giving the ice deity a false smile out of politeness. "I certainly have not, Diamond-sama. The Lunar Ball is approaching thus everyone including myself have been heavily occupied by preparing for it."

Diamond seemed to accept her answer much to her relief since he did not retort anything back related to the subject. Instead, he suggested with a tilt of his head to the side, "Let us have our conversation in an empty room. I do not wish for us to be overheard by anyone else."

That was fine by her. Usagi did not want anyone to see her looking ill at ease while conversing with Diamond anyways, despite the fact that this time, there would not be anyone to come and rescue her if the conversation were to follow the same uncomfortable route as it had the previous time. Also, she did not wish to be discourteous and offend the ice deity as he was by far held a superior ranking than she did for the time being.

"I agree," she replied.

With a wave of his wrist, the nearby unoccupied rooms' door opened. Diamond entered first, expecting Usagi to follow after him. She did. A moment later, an unknown force had shut the door behind her, causing her to jump in surprise.

"Sit," Diamond told her, gesturing to a seat near her as he took a seat himself on a chair across from hers. "I believe conversations are a lot more pleasant when chairs are present. Do you not agree?"

Usagi blankly replied, "I suppose so, Diamond-sama."

Grinning, Diamond leaned forward but the distance remained the same between them since Usagi leaned backwards onto her chair. The God of Ice pretended not to take notice as he spoke. "I have a proposition for you. I believe you might be dearly interested in what I have to offer, my dear."

The blonds' eyes narrowed slightly as she asked, suspicious. "What kind of deal are we talking about?"

"A deal where it would end up benefiting you greatly," answered Diamond, his grin stretching wider. "Now, tell me, have you ever wished to return back to your home? Back to your village outside of Terra, where all of your friends and family are currently residing at?"

Usagi sucked in a breath. She could hardly believe what she was hearing! Was this for real? Diamond was offering her the ticket way back to her village! Instantly, she was engulfed by feelings of happiness at the opportunity that was being presented to her. Diamond noticed her sudden change of mood to a brighter one since he spoke, not waiting to hear her answer.

"I suppose it is safe to take yes for your answer then," the man mused.

Usagi's face faltered as she saw the man's face changing into a look of pure pleasure. It irked her of how he appeared to leave an ominous trail behind him. "But... what do I have to do in order for you to send me back home?"

Diamond leaned back onto his chair, his face bearing a similar expression to a cashier cat. "Why, all you have to do is figure out Endymion's soul name. That is all. It is a simple task, really."

Usagi blinked in confusion. "That's it?" she asked, sounding unconvinced as her part of the deal sounded too good to be true. The ice deity nodded in response. Sounding skeptical, she suggested, "Why don't you ask him for it yourself, Diamond-sama? The two of you are cousins, after all."

The man in white shook his head. "No, I cannot do that. It would be viewed as a great offense if I were to ask another for their soul name. It is just not proper." He explained, feigning a forlorn expression. "I merely wish to know in order to get myself more familiar with my cousin. Do this for me, my dear."

Frowning, the blond questioned, "Then why do _I _have to ask him? He will never tell me!"

"Oh, he _will_," assured Diamond. His dark violet eyes swiftly glistened with dark intent, appearing to be wicked. "I have no doubt about it."

Usagi stared down at her lap, uncertain of whether she should accept the ice deity's offer or not. A large part of her desperately longed to return back home as she was terribly missing her family and friends, but at the same time, she felt that it was unreasonable of her to leave Endymion. They were expected to wed, after all. It was announced several of times during their social events, but if she were to suddenly leave, what would happen to him? Would he be criticized as there would surely be all sorts of odd gossips flying in all sorts of directions, most of them carrying distorted fables.

But before that, would she even succeed? Because if she were to discover his soul name, then what would her excuse be for inquiring it in the first place? She would not be able to say that she specifically wanted to know his other name in order to get more acquainted for him. It would just sound obviously suspicious as he would be chary of her, which she did not want.

"He... he will surely not permit me to return home," Usagi spoke softly, sounding a little disappointed. "I am not certain if this deal is possible, Diamond-sama."

"Oh, do not worry about that," he told her, patting her hand softly. Diamond appeared to not notice her wincing from the sudden contact of their hands. "I will persuade Endymion to change his decision if he chooses that you are to remain here after you completed your part of our deal."

Diamond noticed her hesitation so he chose to continue speaking. "Do not fret, my dear. No harm will be brought from this deal, so do not worry. And besides, you are in a desperate need to return back to your loved ones, are you not?"

The blond nodded her head, unable to say anything.

Slowly, the ice deity gave the smaller hand a squeeze. "Well, my offer is available for you to accept any time you desire. But I seriously do recommend that you would consider it, as no other than I would provide you this rare opportunity," he could see her being deep in thought, listening intently to every one of his words. "And do remember this: Endymion will never let you leave his side. He will lock you up in this realm for the remainder of your life until you die in about less than ninety years, far away from your family as you would never get to see them ever again."

Usagi flinched from those words. But Diamond, however, remained to smile.

"No pressure, my dear."

The ice deity disappeared in a moment later without any warnings, leaving her alone only to be troubled with her head occupying a variety of options she could take from here.

"I... I don't know what I should do," the blond moaned as she buried her face with her hands, feeling immensely stressed out.

She did not even know the reason why Diamond sought after the God of Water's soul name, nor did she really want to know the reason why. It was Diamond's business, after all, and she was particularly not interested in getting involved with that man's ambitions. Usagi knew she was being selfish by allowing her strong desire to return home consume her mind and the choices she would make in the near future. But she could not help it; it had been far too long since she had last seen her family and friends that she was beginning to forget how they looked like since she regrettably did not bring a single photograph along with her when she left her home village, only to sacrifice herself for the greater good of her village at the time.

"... would he even tell me his soul name?" Usagi asked herself, feeling defeated already. She knew that the chance of Endymion ever telling her his soul name was very least likely of ever happening in this lifetime. But she wondered if she could manage it though.

_It's just a soul name, nothing of importance, right?_ She chewed on her bottom lip, feeling doubtful.

Usagi certainly hoped so as she did not wish to inflict any harm towards the water deity's direction.

* * *

**AN:** By word count, it's a short chapter which I'm not that pleased about. But this chapter seemed a bit iffy to me anyways. But next chapter's more of what I'm looking forward to writing and hopefully you'll be anticipating to read!

The long awaited Lunar Ball arrives as it will mention Endymion and Serenity's love story, as well a twist!

Thanks for reading and hope you enjoyed this chapter! Reviews and constructive criticisms are **always** appreciated. And many sorries for taking too long to update this chapter. It's been around... three weeks? Hahah.


	8. Chapter VIII

**AN:** Well, here it is: the Lunar Ball and one of the turning points of the relationship between Usagi and Endymion :) I hope this chapter will be an enjoyable read and will make up for the previous one!

**firecracker2010: **Sorry for the disappoint :( hopefully, this chapter will make it up to you and for the comb... :)

**Ty**: The purpose of the soul name will be explained soon, possibly in the next chapter :) And I admit the romance had been lacking due to the plot, but this will be the turning point, even if there is a minimal amount in the beginning. As a writer, I'm not all in for the 'love/attraction at first sight' in a story (one-shots are the only exceptions).

Summary: Many beautiful women were offered to the Water God in order to please him so he would allow rain to fall from the sky. But when it was Tsukino Usagi's turn to be sacrificed, she discovered things get quite complicated when she falls in love with another.

* * *

_The Sacrifice_

Chapter VIII

* * *

The day has finally arrived.

Tonight is the long awaited celebration of the Lunar Ball, which everyone in Terra and its guests looked forward to for many days now. The moment the sun rose, a mystical sound rang throughout Terra, waking its residents up from their deep slumber, signaling that today was the special day; it was the reason that the guests have visited Terra for.

When Usagi woke up, she heard excited cries and murmurs throughout the palace. The servant girls were excitedly hurrying to touch up on last minute preparations while the guests were hyped up, getting dressed into exquisite kimonos and began to paint their face before working on their hair, wanting to outshine themselves as they would represent their own respectable planets.

A soundly knock came at her door the moment she opened her eyes. Minako's voice rang from the other side. "Usagi-chan! Open your door, please! Luna and I are here to assist you to prepare you for tonight's celebration!"

Releasing a small groan, the human girl forced herself to roll off her bed in order to allow her visitors entry. Usagi blinked several of times when she opened her door. Minako was carrying all sorts of mini boxes, grinning widely while Luna held several of robes in her arms.

"Oh, you've brought so much!" exclaimed Usagi, moving to the side of her door to allow entry. Both women entered her room, placing their belongings on her bed. "Are we all getting ready together?"

Minako shook her head. "No, Usagi-chan. Luna and I have brought all of these for _you_, do you understand?" she made a gesture to the bed. "We were uncertain of what color and materials you would favor so... we have brought a quantity of options. I hope you do not mind."

"No, of course not!" Usagi replied quickly, smiling. "I'm deeply grateful to the both of you for willing to spare time from your day to help me in the first place!"

Luna placed her index finger in front of the blonds' face before lightly warning her, "You are to not eat today before the celebration, Usagi-san." She noticed how the younger girl's face fell from the notice that she was to be deprived from food, one of her big loves. "It is crucial that you do this since you are expected to feast tonight."

Usagi patted her stomach, sulking as she did so. "Well, I'll try, Luna. The waiting will be a slow, painful torture... but I'm sure all of the delicious foods at the Lunar Ball will make up for it!" she ended her words by restoring her smile back to her face.

The navy haired woman appeared to be relieved to hear those words.

The Goddess of Love opened the lids of her mini boxes, taking out bunch of small bottles in the process. She held them up for Usagi to see, mentioning, "I have brought some scented oil along with some lotions. While Luna is undressing you, I will go and run the water so it will be prepared for you once she is done with you."

Usagi nodded. "Okay. Thank you, Minako-chan."

"Anytime," the other blond left to enter the bathroom. And soon, the sound of running water could be heard in the other room as she hummed an unknown tune, enjoying herself.

Softly placing her hand on the blond girl's arm, Luna said, "We shall begin now, Usagi-san. Come, I will help you get undressed before you hop into your bath."

Usagi nodded and allowed the navy haired woman to expertly pluck the pins out of her hair which she kept in while she slept so her hair would not get in her face. She then untied and allowed her robes to fall down to the floor before walking over to her bathtub, which Minako took the time to fancy it up by dropping orange flower petals all over. A light pleasant smell hung over the warm water, as it appeared to be a bit translucent.

Receiving odd looks, Minako shrugged her shoulders. "What? I assumed I ought to decorate the bath water while I had some time to spare."

Luna sighed. "Thank you for your kindness, Venus-sama. But let us continue to work on Usagi-san."

Minako nodded in agreement.

As soon as Usagi entered the bathtub, she let out a relaxed sigh. The temperature of the water was flattering and the aroma that hung over the air around her was soothing. A _click!_ could be heard as Minako uncapped a small bottle, spilling its contents into her palm before rubbing her two hands together. She worked on Usagi's long tresses, applying scented oil into them while Luna was adding more liquid contents into the bath water.

"This feels heavenly," Usagi confessed, beaming. "I haven't felt this relaxed for so long!"

"That is good to hear," replied Minako before tapping the other girl on the head, receiving her attention. "Now, dunk your head into the water. I need to rinse the oil out of your hair, Usagi-chan."

Usagi did as she was instructed. She could feel her friend's hands scrubbing the oil from her hair which maintained its scent when she resurfaced. Luna left the room only to retrieve a towel during the time, having it available for her when she stood up and got out of the bathtub. They dried her with a towel before leading her back towards her bedroom, where several kimonos were scattered all over her bed. The navy haired woman gestured for the blond to choose one to wear for the evening.

She chose a simple pink-purple kimono that appealed to her, the color possessed the trait of royalty but Usagi decided on that certain kimono because she was peculiarly fond of it at first sight.

"Excellent choice, Usagi-san." Luna commented. She picked up the kimono from the bed and brought it over to the lady she was serving. Quickly unraveling the ribbons of the kimono, Luna held it to Usagi, gesturing that she should put it on.

The blond accepted the kimono and started to get changed. Minako held her long hair in place while Luna tightened and helped her with her kimono which consisted of many ribbons and layers. Usagi nearly choked on air when her obi was tightened.

"Sorry about that, Usagi-san." Luna apologized, quickly loosening the knot before tying a looser one. "I suppose you are not used to wearing your obi very tight based on your reaction; many women tend to prefer it to cling onto their skin as if it were a second layer as it gives off the appearance of a slimmer waist."

Usagi inhaled several of times before she replied, sounding a bit solemn as she was craving for some food at the moment. But she did not mention that to the two women in the room. "It's fine, Luna."

After that, Luna handled the younger girl in a gentle manner while dressing her. When she was done, Minako selected a pair of zori's for her to wear while Luna started on her hair; after receiving instructions from Usagi, she made the twin buns on the top of her head and placed accessories on the twin buns. She decorated with small beads of diamonds, claiming that they compliment her hair and tonight's event perfectly.

Make ups were brought out shortly after and Usagi looked a bit uneasy. She questioned the two women, "Is make up really necessary?"

The Goddess of Love firmly nodded her head. "Yes, it is, Usagi-chan," she answered, sorting out the mini boxes which contained several of small bottles of pigments. "You are in an honored position in Terra and for the Lunar Ball as you are going to wed Endymion-sama in the future. Many people will observe and judge your appearance, seeking for your flaws. Luna and I will see it to that you have none."

"But I have many flaws-"

Placing her index finger on the human girl's lips, Minako interjected. "Not tonight you will not. And besides, the guests do not have to know that you do, Usagi-chan. Now hush, and allow me to make the magic happen."

Usagi's face was powdered with a soft white substance where she appeared to be paler than she normally was as they were perceived to be beautiful trait for a woman to have. A small amount of rogue was applied to her lips, contrasting sharply to the complexion of her skin. Skillfully, Minako applied light pink eye shadow on the corner of her eyelids to bring out some color of her eyes. Once they were done with her, both women told the human girl to approach a mirror and admire their work. She did so as she approached a mirror, and could not believe the person that was staring back at her, her reflection.

Usagi gasped, bringing her hands in front of her chest.

"Well...? Do you find it to your liking, Usagi-chan?" asked Minako, popping her head into the bathroom. She looked anxious as she worried frantically whether her friend was pleased with her and Luna's work. "If you do not find it satisfying, then we could always-"

"No," the younger blond gasped. "I'm just astonished of your work, Minako-chan."

Minako gave her a dubious look.

"You have done an excellent job - _really_! I feel beautiful thanks to you," Usagi tried to assure the Goddess of Love that she really liked how they had enhanced her appearance. "I could not have done a better job myself." Minako appeared to believe in her words since she released a soft sigh, relaxing her shoulders as she did so.

"I am glad to hear that," Luna commented, entering the washroom as well. Gently placing her hands on the human girl's shoulders, she steered her to stare into her reflection once more. "If you are pleased, then that means Venus-sama and I have done an excellent job. Come now, many hours have passed since we have started. Endymion-sama must be waiting for you right now."

"Eh? What time is it now, Luna? Surely, it's only been an hour or so since we have started..." Usagi blinked several of times, having a hard time believing that she had taken many number of hours just to get ready.

Luna shook her head. "No, the sun is now starting to set. Hurry, we must make haste so you will not be late, Usagi-san."

"I understand."

Usagi followed Luna out of her room with Minako following the two of them. Once they had exited, the Goddess of Love had shut her bedroom door behind her before remaining behind. Confused, Usagi gave her a questioning stare. "Minako-chan, aren't you coming with us?"

"No, I must take my departure now, Usagi-chan," Minako responded before winking, a sly smile forming on her lips. "I should go and look for Healer before the guests come flooding into the ballroom. Also, I will need the extra time to beautify myself."

Chuckling, Luna kindly dismissed her presence. "I see. You may go then, Venus-sama. We shall see you at the Lunar Ball then, unless you are nowhere to be seen with your escort."

Minako quickly bade them a short farewell before she disappeared among the dark corridors. A moment later, Luna turned her attention to the younger girl beside her. She asked, "Do you have your mask ready, Usagi-san?"

Usagi held up the mask up, grinning. "Yup!"

"Good," Luna began to head towards the ballroom, motioning for the human girl to follow. "Remember to put it on before you enter the ballroom, Usagi-san. Everyone will be in their masks, so if they ask for your identity, you shall not give them it. However, if they give you yours, then kindly accept it but do not reciprocate it. The purpose of this event is for guests to freely talk to one another, unknowing each other's identity, to have the mysterious feeling to it."

"Alright," Usagi began to smile, anticipating for the event. The Lunar Ball seemed to sound more and more exciting to her, and she could not just wait to experience it! "I'm looking really forward to this, Luna. It sounds so exciting!"

Luna nodded in response. "It is, Usagi-san. I am certain that you will enjoy yourself tonight; it is the most anticipated event in Terra for a reason."

"I hope you're right, Luna."

The two women walked in silence for several of moments as they made numbers of turns in the palace. Although Usagi started off as excited for the event, she slowly started to feel a tingling sensation rumbling in her stomach. Her nervousness escalated when she noticed Endymion in the middle of the hall, waiting for them. Dressed all in black with light blue stripes fading on his kimonos with silver outlines, he looked handsome. He was leaning against the wall, appearing to be in a trance of serenity until he suddenly opened his eyes and acknowledged their presence.

"Endymion-sama." Luna had greeted him first, curtsying as she did so.

"Good evening, Luna," Endymion greeted. He then turned his head towards Usagi's direction, his eyes speculating her choice of attire. Walking over towards the blond, he complimented her. "You look lovely tonight."

Usagi's cheeks flushed. "Thank you, Endymion-sama."

Eyeing the pair, Luna was pleasant with the scene unfolding in front of her. She bowed before taking her departure, smiling. "I shall see you at the ballroom then, Endymion-sama, Usagi-san." Endymion raised his hand, silently granting her departure while Usagi returned her short farewell.

"Bye, Luna."

As Luna's figure slowly faded away, Endymion held his hand to her, offering for her to take. Usagi shyly accepted it, clasping her fingers with his. Slowly, he started to take steps towards the ballroom once more, with her in tow. She felt herself getting warmer as she could hear her own heartbeat pounding against her ears from walking beside the Water God, intimately holding his hand as they took steps together. The two of them walked in silence until the Water God broke it by asking her a question.

"Are you nervous?" he asked.

Usagi nodded. "Yes, I am," she replied, staring down at the floor as she attempted not to trip on her kimono. To her surprise, Endymion squeezed her hand in a reassuring squeeze.

"You will be fine tonight, I am certain of it."

She smiled at his words which encouraged her to feel optimistic of what was to come; the high expectations from the guests, and how she would play a large role in the success of this event. Usagi felt slightly less nauseous as she allowed her body to relax. Curious of how the Water God knew how she felt of the Lunar Ball, she decided to speak up on it. "How did you know I was nervous?"

Grinning, Endymion held up their hands up a little. "Because of your hands," he explained, dropping it back down to their sides. "they were beginning to perspire."

Usagi quickly turned her head away, embarrassed as she mumbled a reply. "Sorry..."

"It is fine, do not concern yourself over small matters," Endymion advised her. Soon, they reached the entrance of the ballroom where a single guard was positioned in front of the grand doors. He turned to Usagi and held out his hand. "Hand me your mask. I will help you put it on."

She did as she was told, handing him the white mask. Usagi observed how he smoothly placed it on the bridge of her nose to balance it before grabbing the string only to tie a small bow behind the back of her head. After he was done, he took out a mask of his own and did the same.

"Do we go in together?" Usagi asked, confused.

"Shall we?" Endymion responded by asking her a question of his own, which sounded more like an offer since he gently dropped her hand and offered her his arm instead for her to take.

Smiling, Usagi looped her arm around his and followed him into the ballroom once the guard had opened the door for them.

oOo

She was in heaven.

The food was amazing, absolutely splendid. There were endless options of delicacies she could sample, and after a single bite of everything, Usagi felt as if she had just died and gone to heaven. Currently, she was scooping out a flavorful mousse from small glassware as she began to take awareness to her surroundings after she had peeled her eyes away from the food, much to her dismay.

As expected, everyone was wandering around the ballroom in their masks. She had no clue of who was who, but she knew she had a very low chance of seeking out Luna or Minako since the majority of the guests who attended the Lunar Ball came from other planets.

The moment she and Endymion had entered together, no one had batted an eyelash towards their direction; they did not know who they were, as it was supposed to be. The Water God parted with her, not before telling her to enjoy herself as she was allowed to help herself to the food and meet and greet the guests before their identities were revealed after the feast when everyone's supposed to take their mask off.

Random strangers stopped by and said their hellos, but remained mysterious as they did not unveil their identity to her. They complimented on her choice of kimono and such, being polite as they did not wish to offend anyone at the event. She returned the favor as they chatted mindlessly about the event and how it was finally here, and how pleasantly it was going before they took off, going to chat with another stranger among strangers.

Usagi had just finished her mousse, placing it down on the table full of empty glassware when she felt someone nearly pressing themselves against her from the behind. She stiffened at once as they spoke, feeling their breath on one of her ears.

"The Lunar Ball is going rather smoothly, is it not?" Although they were all wearing masks, she instantly knew it was Diamond who was starting to converse with her, sending frightening chills down her spine as her body recognized his presence. The Ice God was dressed in a pastel blue colored kimono with black lines running across his body and wore a green colored mask with feathers decorated at the edges. She recomposed herself quickly, turning around to allow the distance to grow between the two of them as she forced a smile.

"Yes, it is, Diamond-sama," agreed Usagi.

Slyly, the Ice God questioned, "Besides that, have you considered my offer since the last time we have conversed?"

_Hardly,_ was her honest answer; Usagi had not thought twice over the offer that was presented to her, tempting as it was. The offer to go back home, she knew, was once in a lifetime opportunity, but she felt uneasy of the fact that it was _Diamond _who had presented it to her. So in order to reduce the amount of stress was accumulating in her life, she blocked the memory out as she forced herself to look forward to tonight's event.

"Oh yes, I have given some thought to it," she lied, hoping that he would not catch her lie. He did not since a sly grin formed on his face the moment she had spoken.

"Good, good. That is pleasant to hear," he placed his hand on her shoulder, giving her a proud look as a mother would give to her child. "I will see to it that you will accomplish your part of the deal then. So until then, my dear." Diamond swiftly turned around and disappeared among the crowds before Usagi had any opportunity to respond back.

"Hold on-"

Usagi heaved a big sigh. The ice deity left, believing that she had accepted his offer; it was just what she needed. She knew he was going to be impossibly hard to find in this big crowd so she made a mental note to seek him out later on to tell him that she did not mean to give off that sort of impression to him.

As she adjusted her mask as it gradually slanted towards one side, Usagi set off to look around for familiar faces. It was only awhile later that she spotted Minako, recognizing her by her usual big red bow; she was trying to get the attention of the man she was conversing with, occasionally grabbing his arm as she did so.

_That must be Healer, her escort, _Usagi mused as she decided to leave them alone. The Goddess of Love would thank her for not intruding in their company, she was convinced, as she would want all of the Kinmokusei guardian.

Suddenly, all of the lights in the ballroom dimmed and the crowd broke into curious whispers among themselves. Usagi spotted the food being taken away by men dressed in white, failing to notice the Water God coming onto the spotlight. It was when he began to speak that he caught her attention, along with the rest of the guests.

"Good evening my dear friends, I welcome each and every one of you to this auspicious occasion, the Lunar Ball. I, Endymion, thank you from the bottom of my heart for sparing your time to be here tonight," Endymion said, smiling to the crowd. "As you may all know, this event is very dear to my heart as I share a deep history with it, which I shall not mention as I assume you all know the story behind the creation of the Lunar Ball.

"Tonight will be known as the night of romance between lovers, friends - _anyone_. We had not made any judgements upon one another, and such creations such as unfriendly stares or finger pointing among the crowd was not present in this event, hence the reason why we wore our masks at the beginning of the event. But now that we have feasted and have gotten acquainted with one another, I hope that some of you have gained new friendships and or a relationship from this event.

"The Lunar Ball is meant to benefit everyone in every possible way. And I will make this welcoming speech short as I am certain that everyone here is anticipating to dance with their loved ones," Endymion commented as he looked around the audience. "Once again, I thank you for attending tonight and I hope you will have a memorable night. Now that we have feasted, I believe it is time to reveal ourselves: a tradition which we are to abide by."

The crowd applauded politely when the Water God concluded his speech, taking off his own mask as he did so. Their eyes trailed after him, watching him approach the human girl once he had gotten off the stage. Endymion held his hand out to Usagi. "May I have the honor of having the first dance with you this night?"

Blushing from the attention she was receiving just because of his presence, the blond placed her hand on top of his. "Of course, Endymion-sama." Before she allowed him to lead her to the centre of the ballroom, he gently undid the knot behind the back of her head, taking off her mask. Once they arrived at the designated spot in the room, the Water God placed his hand on her waist as she did on his shoulder. Afterwards, he then took the lead as Usagi followed his steps, praying that she would not fall right then and make a fool of herself while everyone was watching them. While Endymion was watching her every move.

Soon after, they were surrounded by other dancing pairs. Every pair was staring into their partner's eyes, appearing to be mesmerized by them as they glided across the ballroom floor. Usagi noticed she was the only one who seemed to be exception as she observed other people instead. But when she looked upwards, expecting to see her dancing partner's chin, dark blue orbs stared right down at her. She felt her cheeks redden straight away.

"Everyone's sure enjoying themselves tonight," Usagi commented as she looked away, blushing.

"Yes, I suppose they are," Endymion agreed conversationally. The human girl peeked to see if he was still staring at her; he was. She pretended to be idly staring at a blank spot on the wall once more. He gently patted her waist only to have her eyes on him once more. "I believe it would be polite to look at the person's face while you are speaking to them. But besides that, are _you _enjoying yourself tonight?"

Nodding, Usagi answered, "Yes, I am. And I'm sorry, Endymion-sama."

"It is fine."

As they continued to dance, Usagi attempted to keep her eyes remained on the Water God's face, finding it quite difficult to do so as she would feel herself getting warmer. She saw a flash of red behind him, to spot it was Princess Kakyuu dancing with Seiya. He gave her a wink, acknowledging her. She returned the gesture with a friendly wave that was resting on Endymion's shoulder.

"Are you exhausting your arm?" Endymion questioned tonelessly as he straightened his body, appearing to be taller than he already was. His lips thinned in displeasure as they appeared to be in a straight line.

Usagi blinked. She wondered if he knew that she had waved to her friend or he was just assuming that she did not want to continue dancing with him any further. "Um, no, Endymion-sama. It's not like that at all..."

They were no longer dancing in the centre of the ballroom anymore, but they were near one of the edges in the room. She noticed individuals who were not dancing but merely politely conversing with each other while the remainders were just wistfully staring at the dancing couples on the floor as they gave off the impression that they had partners to dance with of their own. But one individual was not doing either of them; she had isolated herself from the crowd and was indeed staring at the dancing pairs, but she did not look hopeful. Instead, she looked unimpressed.

Especially when her eyes landed on them, the ones which belonged to the Goddess of Fire.

Inwardly flinching from the cold stare she was confronted with, Usagi's shoulders involuntarily shrank as if she was trying to make herself to appear smaller, hopefully hiding herself behind Endymion. Rei looked as if she was absolutely displeased with the sight in front of her as she snapped the fan she was holding shut. The blond was unsure of what kinds of thoughts were going through her head as she watched the older girl turn and disappear among the shadows.

"Something the matter?" Endymion asked her, looking a bit concerned.

Usagi shook her head, hoping the situation is of what she said to be. "No, it's nothing." He gave her a doubtful look, but did not question her anymore on the situation. Instead, he stopped in the middle of their dancing only to discreetly lead her out of the ballroom by the arm, unnoticed by all. "Endymion-sama! Where are you taking me?"

"You shall see," replied the water deity, smiling a little. They arrived at the palace garden in no time, where the sight awaited them was spectacular. The white flowers illuminated against the moonlight and the pond near it even had a glow! Usagi gasped audibly as her breath was instantly taken away, never seeing a more beautiful sight than this in her entire life.

"Do you like it?"

Usagi turned to Endymion with a big smile on her face, her eyes shining. "Yes! I love it, Endymion-sama. Thank you for sharing this with me."

He entered deeper into the gardens, thoughtfully observing his surroundings as he did so with a fond look in his eyes. Endymion mused aloud, "This garden is special to me. And the pond as well, as it is known as the Place of Heavens; it symbolizes love and is also known as the place of departure."

"I see. Luna once told me that you and the Moon Goddess have created this garden together," Usagi said softly, staring down at her hands. She was, however, forced to look up only to stare into Endymion's deep eyes when he lifted her chin up with his fingers.

"You seem to have the tendency to avoid eye contact," he commented as he frowned a little, a sign of displeasure.

"I'm sorry-"

"And you overly apologize for your actions."

Usagi was going to apologize for her past actions once more when she caught herself. A hesitant smile formed on her lips as she inquired, "Well then, Endymion-sama, how shall I change my actions to please you?"

Grinning a little, Endymion gave her a suggestion. "You can start by dropping the suffix behind my name. For some unknown reason, it sounds oddly strange coming from you; just address me by Endymion if you will."

"Alright, then... Endymion." Just saying his name as if she shared a close relationship with him seemed to take time to getting used to, Usagi thought as she mentally tested his name over and over again, hoping she will quickly get familiarized with it fairly soon.

_Endymion, Endymion, Endymion..._

Out of nowhere, Endymion generously offered, "Would you like to hear the tale behind the Lunar Ball? If you are curious of the story behind it," she gave him a blank stare, speechless. "Unless Luna had already told you of it, of course."

"No, no," Usagi said quickly, wanting to hear more about his first wife. "I would like to hear your story, if you do not mind telling it to me."

"I do not mind at all. I believe you have the right to know anyways," he replied before he began to tell the story of his past. "Few hundreds of years ago, the encounter between Serenity and I was purely coincidental. We did not know of each other's identity then, but we formed a fast friendship. Then we would secretly meet during major events and celebrations not to cause any scandals that would politically damage our ruling lands.

Things remained the way it was until she became my wife. But shortly after..."

"... what happened to the both of you?" Usagi's voice was hoarse as she strangely felt something heavy was weighing her down towards the ground. She wondered if the gravitational pull got stronger or whatnot.

"Nothing happened to me," he answered, his voice quiet. There was a hint of sadness but a lot of anger in the tone he used. "But disaster fell upon Serenity - she died. There was chaos all over the realm because she was missing for several of days before she was found dead in the Terranian village."

"Did someone... end her... life?"

Endymion's eyes darkened at once. "No, she chose to die, leaving me behind as she continues to live in the afterlife right this moment. No one can kill a deity; they will themselves to no longer continue on with their life. "

"Oh," murmured Usagi as she placed her hand on Endymion's hands, feeling sympathy towards him. _He must have been going through so much pain all this time... the heartbreak that was brought upon him from Serenity when she chose to... leave him all alone._

"Do not pity me for my unfortunate situation in life," Endymion told her softly, sounding forlorn. "I do not appreciate receiving stares of sympathy from others. I had received too many of those back then when the villagers had discovered Serenity's limp and lifeless body."

They remained silent for what seemed to be forever. Usagi disliked the silence as she felt uncomfortable after hearing the tragic end of her future husband-to-be and his first wife's love story; it was nothing what she had expected. She had never expected that the Goddess of the Moon had chosen to die; it made absolutely no sense.

_Why would she kill herself after she had gotten married to the one she loves?_

Although he had told her not to, she could not help but to feel deep sympathy for him. While she could not emphasize his feeling of losing a loved one, she imagined of the enormous amount of pain she would have possibly be engulfed with if one of her family members or Naru had chosen to die - it was downright unbearable...

"We would do role playing often," Endymion said out of the blue, surprising the blond as she was snapped out of her reverie.

Usagi was immensely glad that he had broken the uncomfortable silence. She kept the conversation going by asking conversationally, "Oh? What kind of role playing?"

As he reminisced the past, a small smile made its way to Endymion's face. "We would pretend to be humans, Serenity and I. It was our secret wish; humans are free from any obligations other than their own. Unlike us, they did not have an entire planet or an entire realm to look after. Of course, I am well aware that some looks after their people."

"Yes, they are known as emperors," she informed him.

Endymion nodded, continuing, "She and I would pretend that were two humans who have met from different villages that have never formed any political nor economic bonds with one another. We even gave ourselves separate names as well, used when we would address one another."

"What was the name you have chosen for yourself, Endymion?" Usagi questioned, genuinely curious of what name he would choose out of many options he had available.

"Mamoru," he answered softly. "Chiba Mamoru."

"It suits you very well," she commented, genuinely liking the name he had chosen for himself. Staring up at the bright moon that was hung above in the dark sky, surrounded by stars, she asked, "And what name had Serenity chosen for herself?"

"It was...-" Endymion's words trailed off as he had suddenly cut himself off in mid-way. He seemed to have come to a realization since he was suddenly staring at her, his eyes considerably widened. Concerned, Usagi waved her hand in front of his face.

"Endymion? Are you alright? What's the matter?"

"Serenity… her human name was Usagi..."

* * *

**AN: **This chapter, surprisingly, took an amazing long time to write. I've recently noticed that my writing's style is changing as I am using more dialogue... Oh my. I hope this is a good thing, or I shall try hard to change my style of writing.

But I hope this chapter was an enjoyable read; this story is now halfway done! New stuff will be happening and I'm really hoping to write all of this by the end of August. Thanks for reading :)


	9. Chapter IX

**AN:** Sorry for the super late update. I thought I'd be updating more frequently during the summer, but I guess not! And I've mentioned in the previous chapters that everything will be unraveled by the next chapter or so, along with the significance of a soul name, but I think I'm going to have to push it back a little biiiit - there's just some character and relationship building I want to establish first. Sorry for making you wait.

So here's the Lunar Ball part two! This chapter's more concentrated on Seiya since he's going to disappear after this chapter :)

**DelSan 13: **Perhaps, perhaps not ;) You'll find out in the near future!

**xSapphirexRosesxFanx: **The rest is for you to wait and see ;) And yes, there's a reason for her death which will be mentioned within the next five chapters.

**valencia**** petals:** She can end up with Endymion, or... it's a thought I have in mind. I haven't made up my mind about the conclusion yet :S

**TropicalRemix**: Maybe she is ;) And that'll be explained soon enough :)

Summary: Many beautiful women were offered to the Water God in order to please him so he would allow rain to fall from the sky. But when it was Tsukino Usagi's turn to be sacrificed, she discovered things get quite complicated when she falls in love with another.

* * *

_The Sacrifice_

Chapter IX

* * *

There was a moment of absolute silence once the words had left Endymion's lips. The two of them just stood there, too stunned to move. The water deity quickly averted his eyes from hers and did not attempt to make a single eye contact. Shortly after, he claimed that his presence should not be apart from his guests for too long and left shortly afterwards.

It was a practical excuse, but they both knew it was an apparent one. He had used it just so he could flee from her presence.

Usagi was unconfident of how she felt from the way he had treated her; she felt either sad or angry, but she could not determine which one of the two had dominated over the other. But not wanting to feel like a fool, she followed Endymion back inside the palace a moment after incase of the occurrence of tripping on the hem of her kimono as she was born with a clumsy pair of feet.

Once she had entered the ballroom, she could feel eyes on her. Their stares were sharp as the guests made it obvious that they were silently observing her, silently questioning among themselves why Endymion had chosen _her _as his new wife-to-be when they could have chosen someone better, someone who was more worthy of him like his pervious wife, she presumed. The edge of Usagi's lips curled downwards at the thought of being compared to Serenity once more, but this time, it was more painful to think about his first wife than the previous times. Because this time, she was well aware of the sad fate Endymion had encountered because of her, and as well as the fact that they shared the same name.

That last thought drove her mad.

_I just wanted this one thing to be mine_, Usagi grimaced before quickly replacing her expression with a fake cheery one, trying to give off the impression to the guests that she was immensely enjoying herself at the Lunar Ball. _Just this one thing... Something which I didn't have to share with Serenity._

Unlike the beginning of the event, the guests did not freely approach her as they did so when they concealed their identities with their mask. Feeling uncomfortable, Usagi quickly searched around for a familiar face. She did not feel comfortable being alone in a big event such as the Lunar Ball. It had taken awhile, but she managed to spot Luna and Artemis lounging by the tables with a drink in their hand as they chatted amiably with one another.

Usagi hesitated in her spot, unsure of whether she should butt into their company or not. She began to bite down on her lower lip, thinking.

_I'm sure Luna will forgive me later,_ Usagi resolved, tightly crossing her fingers behind her back as she began to make her way towards the pair.

It was Artemis who had spotted her first. He had to look past his company in order to give her a wave of acknowledgement, smiling a bit. Luna turned around as she was curious to see who the advisor was waving to, and immediately brightened when she had spotted the human girl.

"Usagi-san!" Luna greeted as she enveloped the younger girl into a welcoming hug. Once releasing her, she inquired, "Do you find the Lunar Ball to your liking?"

"It has been... interesting so far," the blond answered honestly.

Artemis grinned. "And do not forget the fact that you had danced with Endymion-sama, Usagi-san."

The two Terranians noticed how the blonds' smile faltered slightly from the main host's name. Usagi gave off a shaky laugh, trying to maintain neutrality. "Oh, yes, Artemis. We danced earlier..."

"Well then," Luna cleared her throat as she tried to change the subject. "How are you planning to spend the remainder of the Lunar Ball, Usagi-san? Perhaps you would dance some more, or enjoy the finest delicacies of this year?"

Usagi replied, "I would like to have your company for awhile, Luna, if you would have me. Afterwards, I might possibly go and feast some more."

"You are more than welcomed to keep us company," the navy haired woman turned to her companion. "Is that not correct, Artemis?"

"Of course."

For awhile, Usagi remained by their side. But despite the fact that she had friends with her this time, the feeling she felt inside was indifferent when she was surrounded by strangers; she felt lonely, exposed. It was a given that Luna and Artemis would mainly talk to one another. They tried to include her in their conversations, but naive as she was, even she could notice how they would prefer to be alone with one another.

Perhaps it's because she reasoned with her selfish side of her personality, or she was pained from Endymion's story, that she did not want to be alone. At least, not for a little while. Usagi gave them plenty of space as she would look away from them as her eyes were fixed on the centre of the ballroom where pairs were dancing with one another. A feeling of nostalgia crept on her as she reflected back to the moment where it was she and Endymion who had been dancing on the exact same floor a little while ago.

_No, stop it, Usagi,_ she silently scolded herself, her fist tightly clenching by her side. The blond squeezed her eyes shut, trying to block out the image of them dancing from earlier... How he had stared right at her in the eyes after he had just finished his speech, unfazed of how the rest of the guests' eyes were on him at the time. How he had only looked at _her_, as if she was the only one in the room other than himself. How he had offered his hand to dance with her like a gentleman would. How he had intimately took off her mask before leading her to the dance floor, making her feel like a princess. It was the worst when he made a small conversation with her in a friendly matter, then making her blush and make her feel as if he had actually cared about her.

Coincidently, she managed to spot out the man she had been just thinking of on the dance floor. Usagi watched as the Water God dance with one of his female guests, who appeared to be having the time of her life. She observed how the guest's hands which were loosely looped around his neck sneakily travel down to his back, intimately rubbing them as she did so. Endymion appeared to not notice them as his expression did not change, continuing their silent conversation, unheard by all.

The blonds' eyes narrowed as she bitterly thought, _The man tells me not go around and associate with other men while he's allowed to freely dance with other women? _Sighing, Usagi remembered how angry Endymion was when he noticed how the Kinmokusei guardian had presented her a small souvenir after their outing. _The nerve of him... _

Usagi's appetite for food was lost as she stood there, silently staring at Endymion's back with unreadable eyes. She watched him as he changed partners several of times as the females instantly came right at him once the song that was played by mystical creatures in front of the room was over. She didn't know what attracted the ladies to Endymion in the first place. Sure, he's a very attractive man, but at the same time, he can be aloof, harsh, straightforward, random, and caring...

She shook her head quickly, trying to shake her thoughts out.

"Usagi-san? Are you alright?" Luna questioned, suddenly breaking her train of thoughts. Snapping out of her reverie, Usagi turned her head to face the other woman. "You seemed to be out of it. Do you need anything? Just tell me, and I will fetch it for you."

"No, no. I'm alright," Usagi quickly said. "Thank you, Luna."

The older woman looked unconvinced from the younger girl's words, but she managed to change the direction of their small conversation. Gesturing to the tables where small plates of desserts were being placed, she suggested, "Would you care to have some dessert with me, Usagi-san?"

"Eh?" Usagi was caught off-guard. She blinked several of times before mumbling, "Oh, um, no. I'm fine, Luna, but you can go right ahead." She failed to notice how her response surprised Luna since she was known to never decline to desserts as she considered them to be the best part of a meal.

"Oh..." Luna's voice gradually faded as she noticed that the blond no longer held her attention; she was too occupied with staring at the main host of the Lunar Ball.

Usagi was unsure of the reason why she continued to stare at the Water God. It was not because she _wanted _to: it was just that her eyes always ended up on him after staring at everywhere. In a way, she did not want to admit that she was captivated by the man. She did not know what it was about him, but there was _something _about Endymion that drew her eyes towards him.

After successfully peeling her eyes completely off of her future husband, Usagi breathed audibly as she waved her hand in front of her face, looking dehydrated. "Luna, I am going to take leave and drink something. I will see you later," she notified the navy haired woman of her departure, briskly walking away as she did so. Usagi did not have to look very far to find something to drink as a waiter whom resembled a silver seahorse was going around, carrying drinks, had approached her. Placing the tray he was carrying in front of her, he gave her a wide selection of drinks to choose from; they were in small glasses, giving them a fancy appearance.

Usagi took the cup which contained a red colored liquid and thanked the waiter as he continued to make his way around the guests. She stared down at the contents of her glass, swirling it around several of times as she was clueless of what she was even holding in her hand. Sighing, she closed her eyes before she began to raise the glass upwards towards her lips. It was when her lips made contact with the cool glass that her drink was swiftly plucked from her hands. Confused, she opened her eyes only to meet Seiya's cobalt blue ones.

"Seiya-kun?"

The Kinmokusei guardian held her drink in front of her face before giving her a disapproving look. "Hm, I was not aware of the fact that you are the kind of girl who consumes alcohol, Odango."

"I'm not," Usagi answered honestly.

Seiya lightly waved her cup, grinning. "Are you sure about that? Then what were you doing with this?"

Pouting, Usagi held out her hand towards her friend. "Give me my drink back, Seiya-kun. I'm dying of thirst over here!"

"I believe you have just claimed that you do not consume alcohol, Odango," Seiya playfully chided her before grinning wider, holding the blonds' glass even more out of her reach. "And besides, alcohol tends to make one even more dehydrated." Usagi did not say anything, which worried the Kinmokusei guardian. His goofy expression instantly slipped from his face, changing into a troubled one. After placing her glass down on a table, he placed his hand on her shoulder, causing her to look up at his face. "Are you feeling fine, Odango? You look sort of distressed."

"Are my expressions really that apparent?" Usagi asked softly, closing her eyes for a brief moment before re-opening them. "I... I am..."

Seiya intercepted, "You are not in your best mood, am I correct?"

Nodding, the blond agreed.

Grabbing both of her hands, Seiya suggested, "Then why don't we dance, Odango? I have not danced with you yet anyways." He gently pulled her towards the dance floor, where she allowed herself to be dragged along. Already knowing what to expect from the dance, Usagi automatically placed her hands around her friend's neck as he placed his hands on her waist before guiding her feet.

"This is your first Lunar Ball, is it not?" asked Seiya, starting a conversation.

"Yes, it is," Usagi answered. "What about you, Seiya-kun?"

The Kinmokusei guardian responded, "This would be my fifth since my rank back at my planet rose after proving myself worthy of obtaining the position I have now."

"Is it a good position?"

Seiya pretended to scoff before boasting with pride. "Of course it is," he answered. "With my current position, I am permitted to travel outside of my planet beside Kakyuu-hime's side, granted the honor that I am to protect her."

Usagi smiled at his enthusiasm, glad to see how another, unlike herself, was immensely enjoying tonight's celebration.

"What about you, Odango?"

"What about me?" the human girl presented a question of her own, completely clueless of what her friend was inquiring of her.

"Are you happy with your current position?" Seiya stared intently down at her eyes, not wanting to miss a spec of unrevealed expression down underneath the facade the blond had put up. He elaborated more on the subject by adding, "You are to marry Endymion, after all, and rule over Terra by his side."

Usagi looked away, breaking their eye-contact in the process. "Ah, that..."

The Kinmokusei guardian grabbed all of her attention when he tenderly lifted the girl's chin with his fingertips, causing her to look up at him once more. He leaned in close until his head was right beside hers, only to mention about her husband-to-be, surprising her. "Do not stare, but Endymion-sama does not look pleased of the fact that I am currently dancing with you, Odango."

"E-eh?"

"Yeah, in fact, he looks pretty peeved," Seiya added, grinning. The blond sighed softly, feeling confused. She assumed her friend would lean back after notifying her of the Water God, but he did not. Instead, he remained there and questioned, "Say, are you not on good terms with him, Odango? You appear to be experiencing a stiff back ever since I have mentioned his name."

She frowned once more, disliking how obvious she could be before tossing the thought away. "We were alright earlier, I guess, since we danced and all. But after that..."

Seiya leaned away from her in order to twirl the girl in his arms around as the rest of the pairs on the floor did so at that time. He then drew her back in, chuckling. "You do not need to continue, I understand what you are trying to say."

"You do?"

"Of course," he answered, increasing the space between them as he leaned backwards. Then, it was as if the Kinmokusei guardian intended to anger the main host of the event with his upcoming invitation. "Would you like to get some air, Odango? I was aware of spotting a balcony that has a magnificent view of the Mizu Kingdom while I have been temporarily residing here."

From the corner of her eye, Usagi noticed how Endymion's frown had deepened. Strange. It was as if he could hear their conversation. Resting her eyes back on her dancing partner's face, she replied, "Yes, I would like that very much."

Smoothly, the male of the pair halted their dance in a gradual matter. Placing an arm behind her shoulders, Seiya led his petite friend out of the room. They walked in comfortable silence for a moment as the balcony he had spoken of was not very far from the ballroom at all. From there, a magnificent view of the Terranian lands was exposed. The village, a bit of a distance walk from the palace, was sparkling with candles and lanterns in the dark. But that was not why it made the view worthwhile - it was the ocean. The vast ocean stretched far and wide across the land, taking up majority of the lands. Tonight, strangely, it did not look like any other ocean as it had a mystifying silver glow to it as its surface was reflecting the moonlight which was shone right over it.

Usagi softly gasped in awe, never seeing anything so beautiful in her life.

"It is a breathtaking sight, is it not?" The blond turned to her side, only to notice that her friend was taken away by the sight of image in front of them as well. His eyes did not leave the view in front of him. "It almost makes me want to prolong my stay in Terra for a bit longer..."

Blinking in confusion, she asked, "Are you leaving soon, Seiya-kun?"

"Tonight is my last night in Terra, Odango," the Kinmokusei guardian informed her with a poignant smile, turning to face her. Cupping her cheek with his hand, he wistfully said, "I honestly do wish I could have stayed longer. This visit had been too short."

"W-why are you leaving?" Usagi asked, feeling immediately saddened. A part of her felt even lonelier at the thought of her friend leaving her behind. She noticed how her friend had been affected by her change of mood as he seemed to have difficulty maintaining his neutral composure, trying to remain calm.

Seiya's smile had gotten smaller. "It is not only I, Odango; every single guest outside of Terra are to leave once the sun arises. It is only right that they do so, myself included. Our purpose for the visit was to attend the Lunar Ball, so it is expected that we take leave once it ends."

The human girl returned her stare back at the view in front of her, staring up at the moon this time. The moon hung high up in the dark sky, but she was able to determine that the sun was going to rise soon. How soon, she was not able to determine as she was never good with those kinds of stuff in the first place.

"So, a sun rise signifies the end of the Lunar Ball, then?"

"That is correct."

A soft sigh was released before a confession followed afterwards. "I am going to miss you when you leave, Seiya-kun."

Another confession followed afterwards. "As will I, Odango."

Turning slightly, Usagi lightly punched her friend in the arm. "Who am I going to turn to whenever I need someone to cheer me up?" she joked, although what she had said was the truth. Seiya's enthusiastic yet optimistic personality had never failed to brighten her mood whenever she needed it. So when he leaves, who was she going to turn to? Minako? Possibly. But still. The thought of losing a friend frightened her, something precious being taken away from her.

Seiya grimaced. "I apologize, Odango."

"For what?" She tried to sound chipper, but noticed that she was failing miserably. "You have nothing to apologize for, Seiya-kun. It is not your fault. I... I will be fine, really. I am just cheerless of how this is all so sudden for me, you know? Losing a good friend... it is not the greatest feeling in the world."

Both of his hands cupped her face as he stared wistfully down into her eyes. "Odango, I..." the man heaved a big sigh before he continued. "Perhaps this is not the best time to tell you this, but I cannot help myself: I wish we had met sooner, before you were bound to marry Endymion."

"Seiya-kun... what are you saying?"

The Kinmokusei guardian tightened his hold on the girl's face, careful not to harm her in the process. "If possible, I would have wanted us to become more than what we are now. But that can only be a dream, never a reality."

With great difficulty, Usagi managed to cut their eye contact by tilting her head to the side when she boldly changed the course of their conversation. "Then that comb from the village market..."

"Ah, that..." Usagi cocked her head to the side, uncertain of the reason why her friend suddenly had gone quiet. He appeared to be in a deep thought for a quick moment before he resumed with what he was saying. "It was unintentional, of course. I had only purchased it for you because I assumed you would enjoy it. But later on, during a stroll, Maker and I came across a couple proposing and... the man had given the woman a comb. Afterwards, Maker had explained to me how a comb carries a significant meaning which I had not known before since I had never developed a love interest. I apologize if I had made you feel uncomfortable."

"Seiya-kun..."

"However," Seiya continued. "If I had known that earlier, I would have given the comb to you with honest intentions, Odango. But because you are to marry Endymion... it is for the best that I had not."

The girl frowned. "What do you mean, Seiya-kun?"

"Odango - no, Usagi," Seiya said, choosing to use her actual name for the first time. Suddenly, his demeanor changed as he turned serious. "Because of your current position, Terra's lands will be in your hands soon the moment you marry Endymion. And because of that, I would not dare to oppose any threats to your relationship with _him _which would be considered offensive, sparking a war between here and Kinmoku. I would be disgracing my planet's name, people, and you. That is something I would _never_ want to do."

There was a long moment of silence between them, both unsure of what to say to one another. Seiya appeared to be baffled from unleashing his confession while Usagi was surprised, momentarily too shocked to move. It was Usagi, however, who had broken the silence first by clearing up her throat.

"Well," she began awkwardly, becoming fretful. "What if... I had feelings for you too, Seiya-kun?"

Seiya shook his head. "No, Odango. I highly doubt that your feelings are similar to mine," he said, his voice firm.

Usagi gave him a challenging stare as she stepped back from his hold on her, crossing her arms across her chest in the process. "How would you know _that_, Seiya-kun? I know my feelings better than _anyone_."

"You certainly do have the right to say that," Seiya responded softly. "However, despite the fact that I had never developed a love interest before I had met you, Odango, I know for a certain fact that you do not return my feelings; you are confused as your feelings have misled you to believe that it is love that you are feeling for me when it should be otherwise known as friendship."

His words made her mouth dry, leaving her speechless and in her thoughts. Usagi silently pondered whether what Seiya had just said was the truth as they clouded her head with doubts of what she truly felt for him. She had always seen him as a great friend who was always there to comfort her, cheer her up. However, she had constantly longed to see him at the most random times, making her wonder if it was because she needed a friend or she was developing feelings for him.

A part of her wondered whether it was because the thought of liking Seiya was considered to be a seditious behavior since she was sent from her village to marry Endymion and the thought of defying her fate excited her. He was seen as her escape as she possibly wanted to fall in love with _anyone_ other than the Water God as she saw him to be bounded by his side until the day she dies.

"I... I am sorry, Seiya-kun. I guess my feelings at the moment must look like a big clump of a mess," Usagi bowed her head in shame. "I must look like a fool to you."

"Lift your head up, Odango," Seiya commanded gently, which sounded more of a request. When the girl obeyed, he continued. "No, do not feel ashamed - you have no reason to. What you are going through is perfectly normal, Odango. Many people tend to mistake friendship for feelings for love."

Desiring to return their casual atmosphere, Usagi grinned when she inquired, "Does that theory include you, too, Seiya-kun?"

Seiya grinned cockily. "Perhaps not."

"_Seiya-kun_!"

"I am only joking!" the man laughed heartily before messing up his companion's neat hair, earning himself a high-pitched shriek. Once Seiya had calmed down, he said, "Gods, I am going to miss you so much."

"Ah, Seiya-kun-"

"So this is where you were," a new voice butted in impolitely. The pair turned to meet with Kakyuu and her two Kinmokusei guardian. Yaten stepped up and expressed his complaint. "We have been looking for you for quite awhile, Fighter; you just suddenly disappeared on us!"

The black haired man gave his friend a sheepish grin. "I apologize, Healer." His friend scoffed in reply.

Kakyuu said with a soft voice as she took several of steps forward towards her remaining guardian. "Fighter, the time has come for us to leave. The sun will peak up any moment now," she turned to the blond girl next to him. "I am grateful that our paths had crossed, Usagi-san. It was a pleasure to meet you."

"The same goes for me as well, Kakyuu-hime," Usagi replied, sharing mutual feelings with the Kinmokusei ruler. "I hope we will see each other again real soon."

The older woman nodded in agreement. "Yes, perhaps at the next Lunar Ball. Or, you could always visit Kinmoku with Endymion-sama if you would like. The two of you are welcomed to visit anytime."

Usagi's face faltered slightly at the mention of her husband-to-be's name. "Ah, yes..." She was grateful how Kakyuu had not noticed the change of her mood along with Yaten and Taiki, whereas Seiya had. "I wish you a safe trip home, all of you."

"Perhaps the next time we meet, you will be ruling this land beside Endymion-sama's side, Usagi-san," Kakyuu commented politely, sounding practical. "I am certain that you will be a good ruler for Terra."

Feeling overwhelmed at the mention of her possible future, the human girl stuttered. "Oh... um, thank you..."

"Kakyuu-hime," Taiki called to receive his princess' attention. He motioned to the hills near the palace, which was aligned to mark the area of the Mizu Kingdom. There, a faint orange light was beginning to peek through between the hills. "The sun is beginning to rise."

"I understand, Maker," The Kinmokusei ruler turned to the blond and bowed her head. Her remaining guardian took his place beside her with her other guardians. "This is where we take our leave. Farewell and take care, Usagi-san."

"Good bye, Usagi-san," Yaten and Taiki chorused while Seiya did not say anything. This earned him an odd stare from his friends and princess.

"Fighter?"

"I... I will never forget you, Odango," Seiya finally said, a small grin tugging at the corner of his lips.

"As will I, Seiya-kun. You have been an amazing friend and I cannot express my thanks of the wonderful things you have done for me."

With a solemn wave of farewell, the four figures in front of her disappeared as their light shot up towards the sky, heading towards their planet. Turning around, Usagi noticed other bright lights as well, all coming from the palace as its guests were returning home. A few moments later, when there was not even a speck of bright colored light up in the sky, the sun made its entrance into the sky.

Uncontrollably, Usagi's body began to shake as she swore she could feel her tears making their way to her eyes. But before she could even shed a tear, however, she felt something light and cold on her cheek. She raised her hand to it, only to discover that she had easily wiped the liquid away. Staring down at her hand, she discovered it was rain as it was clear and did not carry any scent.

"Rain...?" She looked up at the sky, only to be welcomed with more raindrops. She blinked several of times, wondering whether she was dreaming of this or not. Looking down at the Mizu Kingdom, Usagi saw rain falling down all over it. "But why?" The question was more to herself which she had unnoticeably spoken out loud, but she received her answer nonetheless.

"Because it was bound to rain sometime soon," Endymion explained, stepping from a nearby pillar. He began to take steps towards her as he spoke. "If rain had not fallen by around this time, then the villagers would have starved soon and might have resorted into a rebellion. I am responsible for the peace among the citizens of my kingdom."

Looking hopeful, Usagi questioned, "Then, if it is raining here, is it raining back at home then?" She noticed how the Water God did not look pleased how she had referred to her village outside of Terra as her home rather than where she was currently residing.

"Yes," he answered curtly.

"I'm so happy! Thank you, Endymion!" Usagi beamed as she hugged him by the waist, caught up in the moment.

Uncertain of how he should respond to the sudden hug, Endymion awkwardly patted her back in response. "You are welcome," he said.

Usagi pulled back from the water deity and let out a small giggle. "You are terrible at this, Endymion," she commented, poking at his chest with her index finger. For some reason, she felt comfortable with him at the moment as she normally did with Seiya, if not more. The awkward moment which was there between them during the duration of the Lunar Ball seemed to mysteriously disappear as if it had never occurred in the first place. However, she did not forget it.

_But for now, I want to enjoy this moment with him, _Usagi decided, wanting to give Endymion a fair chance if he was willing to do the same with her.

"I am glad to see that you are happy, Usako."

The blond suddenly froze. With dubious eyes, she stared up at the Water God's face and asked, appearing as if she had not heard in the first place. "What did you just call me?"

"Usako," Endymion answered, smiling faintly. "It seems to suit you well; I have been thinking of what I should call you for a long time now."

"So that's why you had never addressed me by my name..." she mumbled. "Were you aware of the fact that I shared the same name with Serenity for awhile now or just tonight?"

"Unconsciously, I have been aware of it for some time now as Luna would mention you to me several of times per day," Endymion responded, looking at the girl's eyes in front of him as he selected his words carefully. "But I had not once made the connection between the two of you until tonight."

"It must have been a shock for you since you left so suddenly afterwards," Usagi commented, trying to look as if she had not been affected by his realization as he did.

"I want to apologize for that incident. It was childish of me to leave you alone so suddenly. I am sorry, Usako," Endymion gently brought up one of her hands to his face only to kiss the back of her palm in an apologetic manner. "Forgive me."

Usagi felt her face going hot as she betted it was turning beet red at the moment. "I-I forgive you, Endymion," she said softly. She stared down at the ground, hoping her bangs were effectively hiding her scarlet colored cheeks. "And once again, thank you for the rain."

The Water God shifted in his stance. "It was nothing. I did it for the village, and I did not want to see you cry as well."

_What...? _Usagi stared up at his face once more. She wanted to ask whether it was because he did not want to see her cry in general or it was because of the fact that Seiya had left.

As if he could read her mind, Endymion elaborated more on the subject as he answered her question in the process. His voice was quiet when he confessed, "I would not have wanted to witness you shedding your tears for _him,_ Usako. The thought drives me mad."

_So it was because of jealousy after all, although he danced with so many women tonight... _Usagi concluded, inwardly sighing. Not wanting to get into another argument with the man in front of her, she gave him a sincere smile. "The only thing that matters to me is that you have bestowed rain upon us all, Endymion." He returned a small smile of his own, a rare thing she had ever seen him do.

"I am glad, then." Instinctively, he brought her into his arms, embracing her tightly.

Usagi found that she liked her husband-to-be a lot better whenever a smile managed to escape from him. Silently, she hoped that there were more to come in their near future as she wrapped arms of her own around him, returning his embrace.

Now that Seiya has left, there were two paths remaining which her future could take, as the Mystic had once predicted. She knew one of them was with Endymion, but she could not determine who the third important figure in her life could be. But whoever he is, she resolved to decide who she will spend the remainder of her life based on her feelings, which she trusted wholly with her entire heart and mind. Usagi could only hope that her feelings will lead her to a path of happiness, that is all.

One down, the remaining two are still up there, waiting for her.

* * *

**AN:** Finally. This took me way too long for me to write. Procrastination is a nasty habit - I'm sorry! But I hope you enjoyed this chapter as I'm sure it has answered some of the questions regarding the comb and all. Thanks for reading and feedbacks and reviews are always appreciated :]


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